It takes a village
Meet Dr Damaris Matoke-Muhi, a research scientist and mother of three in Kenya, who is leading the global fight against malaria.
The first born of eight children, Damaris had a remarkable talent for maths and science from a young age. Although members of her local community questioned the value of educating a girl, her father, a schoolteacher, was adamant his daughter finish school. When Damaris was offered a place at a university in India to study science, her father sold his cows and a plot of land to help pay for tuition.
As a student, Damaris struggled to live on the $50 her father sent her every three months. Unable to afford accommodation near campus, Damaris walked 25 kilometres, five days a week to attend class and barely ate enough to survive. “If I couldn’t eat a meal at a friend’s house, I would often go two days without eating.” Without complaint and despite the challenges, Damaris never missed a class.
She was 23 years old and studying for a master’s degree in biotechnology when her young brother Abel, also a gifted science student, died from malaria. His death marked a profound turning point for Damaris. For the first time she trusted her parent’s sacrifices were not wasted - she was going to use her education to help her country eliminate malaria.
Returning to Kenya, Damaris pursued a doctorate in molecular medicine while working full time as a research officer at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, where she is now the Principal Research Scientist. Damaris has now been on the frontline of fighting malaria for decades, in both the research lab and in villages, where she conducts regular screenings and works closely with local women to improve preventative measures.
Damaris believes women hold the key to preventing the disease at ground level and is passionate about encouraging more female leaders in science and healthcare. It will be Damaris’s network of female health workers who will soon administer the world’s first malaria vaccine to communities across Kenya.
Paying forward her father’s belief in her, Damaris has put her seven surviving siblings through university and is raising two young daughters, who both dream of pursuing a career in healthcare.
“If we’re serious about malaria elimination in Africa, women must help develop, design, deliver, and implement strategies. Once you impact and inspire one woman, you impact and inspire the whole community.”
