By Jane Kaye-Bailey | Founder
Malaria prevention - Every two minutes a child dies from malaria. According to UNICEF, malaria there are 2,500 deaths each day, these are mostly children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia has a high prevalence of malaria.
The Butterfly Tree has provided tens of thousands of mosquito nets in rural areas throughout the Kazungula District. In 2017 ‘mosquito nets for schools’ launched by the charity after learning that school children were contracting malaria due to lack of protection. Priority is usually given to pregnant women and children under the age of five. To date the charity has donated mosquito nets to 13 schools in the Kazungula District. The most recent being Moomba, Siamasimbi, Chuunga and Ndele Schools, all in remote areas where malaria is prevalent.
In 2015, The Butterfly Tree initiated a safe innovation to protect people from malaria, which is highly effective in reducing the number of cases. A safe insecticidal coating is painted on the inside of dwellings, when a mosquito lands on a wall, it will pierce the surface, ingest the chemical and will fly off die. In addition, larvicide granules are dispersed in ponds and streams to prevent larva from developing into mosquitos. Both interventions are safe to humans, animals and fish. This has proved to be highly effective in reducing cases of malaria in areas of distribution in Mukuni, Nyawa and Moomba Chiefdoms.
To further help the global fight against malaria The Butterfly Tree has been working with a film company who specialise in medical aid. They have produced a wonderful, animated video on malaria prevention, after which The Butterfly Tree had it translated into the local Tokalya language.
The film has since been circulated to all health facilities in the Kazungula District and is one of their major methods use to sensitize the people and for facilities that do not have any equipment mobiles phone communication is being used.
This Christmas we are appealing for donations for malaria prevention - a mosquito costs just £6 or $9. 100% of your donation will go directly to the cause. Thank you to everyone who has supported our malaria prevention programme in Zambia.
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