When I stepped onto the grounds of Burure Primary school in
Zimbabwe, the first sound that I heard was a room full of first
graders singing “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” It was fun to hear
this familiar tune in a place so far from home. Indeed, singing
is a great way for children to learn. In addition to songs about
barnyard animals or the alphabet, school children in Burure also
learn songs to help teach about malaria. On a visit to the
Burure Primary school, we had the opportunity to see children
sing, dance and offer poems – all on the topic of malaria. There
are about 1000 school-aged children in Burure. A group of
courageous kids bravely performed in front of a crowd of several
hundred people, a group which included fellow-students, school
staff members and international guests. Some songs described
symptoms that people should beware of. Others talked about
different prevention techniques. One class came together and
sang beautiful songs as a choir. A memorable poem was given by a
girl that was lamenting h