Prevent Malaria in Sierra Leone with Mosquito Nets

Dear Project partners

Earlier this year, 200 bed nets were distributed to family heads and other inhabitants of Tombo - thanks to your generous donations.

The Councillor of Ward 340 in Tombo,  Amos Kalloh. said, "I am so appreciative of this good gesture for it will help protect my community people from malaria."

Tombo is the largest fishing community in Sierra Leone, with a population over 14,000 people. The main source of income is fishing.  People all over Sierra Leone come to Tombo to buy fish whole sale, retail and for domestic consumption.  Tombo has a lot of swamps making the community susceptible to a large mosquito population and high malaria incidence.

Osman Kamara one of the elders said, "The provision of bed nets will cause us to enjoy our sleep."

Thank you for your ongoing support that is helping us provide families with the much needed protection (bed nets) to prevent Malaria.

With great appreciation,

The Develop Africa Team

Dear Project Supporters,

Your support provided a net for an old woman called Ena Marie.  She tells us in this video in Limba (one of the local languages in Sierra Leone) how the net has helped her.  Watch the video https://youtu.be/T0JnMOQ_umU.

Ena Marie says in the video:

I want to thank God for the bed net. It has taken a long time that I have not been affected by malaria. I have not gone to the hospital for malaria because of the bed net you provided. Thank you very much. Ebola has come and gone I have not been to the hospital because of sickness.

Your partnership and donations made the difference!  Together we are truly changing the world, one life at a time.

The other day we ran into an article that gripped us. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Why is malaria the most important cause of economic distress?

ANSWER:

While malaria is clearly a huge burden on many aspects of society, including economies, in many parts of the world, I’m not sure it’s fair to say that it’s the leading cause of economic distress. However, it certainly contributes to slow economic progress, through mechanisms related to the “poverty trap” hypothesis developed by Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Colombia University in New York City.

The World Health Organization estimates that in 2012 there were more than 200 million cases of malaria and nearly 630,000 people, mostly children, died of the disease.

Our challenge to fight them is a public health issue and treatments such as air conditioning, filters on cisterns, effective water sourcing, and minimizing standing water are essential mosquito management tools. Even simple mosquito nets have been effective. And while these techniques have all contributed to the decline of disease overall, in some parts of the world, more effort is needed.

This is why - all the more - we need to continue to provide this life-saving resource.  

Save The Date:

Starting at 09:00:00 EDT on March 16th, all donations until midnight are eligible to be matched at the Pro-Rated percent. The Pro-Rated percent is based on the total amount of funds raised on Bonus Day, the amount Develop Africa has raised, and the amount of matching funds that are available. This means we don’t yet know what the matching percent will be but we will find out at the end of the Bonus Day. With this structure, GlobalGiving is able to offer matching funds for every online donation during the day.

Thanks so much for your kind support!

The Develop Africa Team

Links:

• Enna Marie tells us impact of net on her life
• The mosquitoes that changed history
• Malaria and Economics