Amanda Bostwick '15
Since graduating from Santa Clara University in 2015, Amanda (Environmental Studies) has been lucky enough to spend her time working in a small country in West Africa, Guinea. While her first two years were spent teaching, her third year in Guinea has been spent trying to help eradicate malaria. Working with the Peace Corps as a Volunteer Leader, her job has afforded her many opportunities and allows me to do what she loves: directly helping people. Her main job has been to open people's eyes (Guineans, fellow volunteers, and even other Peace Corps staff) about the hardships of malaria. Because the reality is that malaria is the number two killer in Guinea, and the number one killer for children under the age of five years in Guinea. Worldwide, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. While malaria currently has no cure, it can be prevented. Amanda spends her days traveling around Guinea training people on how one contracts malaria, malaria treatment methods (early care seeking behaviors), and best preventative measures (i.e. using mosquito nets, using neem cream).