Bactrim vs. Sweets

There is a tradition in Lesotho of children asking for sweets from foreigners. I don't know how it started, I don't know why it continues, but it is prevalent throughout the country.

I heard a story about the doctor who used to do his outreach work in Mohotklong. He used to get pestered constantly for sweets, so he started to offer bits of Bactrim instead of candy. (Bactrim is used for prophylaxis for PCP, a type of pneumonia that can be deadly for patients with HIV). It has a bitter, bad taste, and the area quickly learned not to ask him for sweets anymore.

I think if I were to live here for a year, I would bring boxes of toothbrushes and toothpaste from my mom (my favorite dental hygienist), and give that out instead : )