World Malaria Day
Today, April 25, 2008 is the first ever World Malaria Day. Malaria is a preventable, treatable disease that kills an African child every 30 seconds. It is a leading cause of death for children under 5 in Africa. Of course it has the biggest impact on those in extreme poverty. A simple insecticide-treated bed net is all that is needed to protect a family at risk.
What can we do?
Support an organization that works to fight malaria amongst the poor, such as:
- Malaria No More
- The Nothing But Nets campaign
- World Vision
I heard a representative from Malaria No More speak at a symposium on Africa at the National Constitution Center. I was impressed by their organization — their representative spoke of their understanding that it wasn’t appropriate to enter a region with hubris, offering our American solutions to their problems. Instead, he spoke of humbly learning from village elders about the ways they were trying to educate their people and trying to support African solutions to this problem.
Donating bed nets is something our kids can get excited about. Consider making a donation today in honor of World Malaria Day. A small amount of money can change lives and work to eradicate a scourge among the least of these.
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