In the steep hills of Kioge in Arusha, Tanzania, jiggers are viewed as evil, something akin to a bad omen. This is set to change as the Maasai’s who live in the area were recently taught how to eradicate the menace by the visiting anti-jigger campaigners. Kenyan beauty queen Cecilia Mwangi and Ahadi Trust CEO Stanley Kamau officially launched their campaign in Tanzania last Friday accompanied by members of the Fourth Estate from the two East African countries.
“Kioge will be the centre for the fight to eradicate jiggers in Tanzania,” Stanley told the congregation at the Kioge Assemblies of God church and promised to donate shoes once the treatment is complete.
Former Miss World Kenya admitted that stigma is still an issue. “Not everyone admits they have jiggers; most people try to hide it. But I must say that the level of acceptance in Tanzania is higher as this group waited from morning till evening for us to arrive.”
The anti-jigger posse braved muddy roads and steep climbs up hill to finally get to their destination. This is a step towards taking the anti-jigger eradication campaign to the wider East African region. Last month, the campaign also launched in Uganda.
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