A couple of months ago after reading a post on Maithri's blog, Soaring Impulse, about the importance of nets to protect children from mosquitos and malaria, I went to the site he wrote about and began donating whenever I could. It's been a good feeling to know you can help, even in a small way.
This is part of an email I received today and I wanted to share it with you.
Dear Sylvia,
You did it! You helped us provide enough life-saving bed nets to fully cover the four refugee camps in Kenya. Thank you for sending nets - a combined 128,000 of them - to save lives and protect refugees from malaria.
From the refugee's point of view - a life-saving bed net.
I just returned from Dadaab, Kenya, where I was able to witness the first batch of your nets being distributed. I won't sugar coat it. Life in Dadaab is hard and the issues that refugees and our partner, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), face are complex.
There are a quarter million people living on land that should hold one-third that many. Each day hundreds of refugees, mainly from Somalia, arrive in Dadaab and there is simply no more space. Water is running short. And limited resources mean that UNHCR is forced to make hard decisions on who is most in need.
In the midst of such complexity and hardship, the impact of a bed net was more clear to me than ever.
In going door to door with the health workers to distribute the bed nets and help hang them in the mud brick and stick homes, I met women like 25-year-old Wassan. Having arrived in Dadaab just nine months ago with two children, Wassan was grateful to receive a bed net. And while we cannot change all the struggles she and her family face, with a simple bed net you have dramatically improved her life and that of her children by giving them the opportunity for a healthy life.
Thank you for your support! We have more work to do, but it is important to take a moment to recognize what we have accomplished together. Full coverage of all refugee camps in Kenya is no small achievement - congratulations!
Adrianna Logalbo
Director, Nothing But Nets
http://www.NothingButNets.net/
Even if it's just a little, it can make such a difference in some child's world and it makes a difference in mine as well.
Sylvia's world in thoughts and pictures
I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!
Showing posts with label Malaria. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaria. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
A Young Heroine
Several weeks ago I learned of a wonderful program from Maithri of The Soaring Impulse. For ten dollars I could provide a bed net to help save a child’s life in Africa, to help prevent a child from dying of Malaria. Yesterday I learned about an amazing young girl named Katherine Commale, who by her 6th birthday had raised over $10,000 for Nothing But Nets and now, just two years later, she has raised more than $85,000 to send bed nets to Africa – that’s 8500 bed nets! She has done it all by giving presentations at churches and local schools and creating holiday gift certificates. For her efforts, Katherine has been recognized by The New York Times, CNN, President Clinton and thousands of people across the nation for the work that she does. You can learn more about Katherine’s impressive efforts here. .
Like everyone else these days, I don't have a lot of extra money to spare, but I can give $10 to such a worthy cause with the hope of saving a child’s life. I just wanted to share this wonderful story of an incredible young girl and what she has accomplished. Hopefully, the more people who learn of this program, the more children we can save.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
We Can Help!
This is a blog that I follow and it only takes $10 to help. His blog address is http://soaringimpulse.blogspot.com/ I don't have a lot of money, but I can do this. I hope you will join me in helping to save the lives of so many.
You can check out this website and donate there. NothingButNets.net
This is the letter posted on Maithri's blog.
My friends,
In the last 24 hours, three thousand children died of an eminently preventable disease....
Malaria.
Another three thousand will die in the next 24 hours, because of the same disease.
I want to talk today about what you and I can do, to help... Its a lot easier than you may think.
Lets start with the basic information we all need to know, (NB: i dont want this to be a lecture on the life cycle of 'plasmodium', or the development of 'merozoites' - i just want to tell you what i think is important for every human being to know about the impact of this disease on humanity) ....
Malaria is caused by a parasite which is spread by a particular species of mosquito (the anopheles mosquito). The disease is often fatal if not treated appropriately and in adequate time.
90% of the million people that die of Malaria each year are little children.
In fact every 30 seconds, a child dies of malaria.
In addition to children, the people most at risk of malaria are those in the poorest areas. People in refugee camps and flood affected areas.
These are breeding grounds for the anopheles mosquito.
Refugees in Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda who have fled their own countries to escape persecution, violence and war are all at very high risk of contracting malaria.
All it takes is one mosquito bite.
The majority of these stings happen at night while people are fast asleep.
And now for the most important part of this brief discussion.... Malaria IS preventable.
Studies estimate that 70 to 90% of malarial transmissions can be reduced by the use of a simple insecticide impregnated bed net.
The insecticide in the nets kills the mosquitos responsible for transmission of malaria and last for years. Now even if a child plays with the net and it becomes torn in some places, the mosquitos dont enter because of the insecticide....
A mosquito net for a bed.... costs $10.
Think about that for a moment.
The pain of this world runs deep, but often the solutions are far simpler than we might imagine...
I dont see the point in beating our chests and wallowing in sorrow, when we can be part of the solution....I never have.
So, on that note I'm gonna go purchase a couple of these nets right now and read more about how we can all make a difference to the lives of those affected by this disease from these great websites. Maybe I'll see you there ;)
http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
http://www.malarianomore.org/
Sometimes the heartache in this world seems like a raging river.
Impossible to overcome.
But I believe that every day we have the choice, to either add one more tear to the flood....
or to pick ourselves up,
and start building a bridge.
Here's to you Bridge builder,
Love the world into change,
Maithri
You can check out this website and donate there. NothingButNets.net
This is the letter posted on Maithri's blog.
My friends,
In the last 24 hours, three thousand children died of an eminently preventable disease....
Malaria.
Another three thousand will die in the next 24 hours, because of the same disease.
I want to talk today about what you and I can do, to help... Its a lot easier than you may think.
Lets start with the basic information we all need to know, (NB: i dont want this to be a lecture on the life cycle of 'plasmodium', or the development of 'merozoites' - i just want to tell you what i think is important for every human being to know about the impact of this disease on humanity) ....
Malaria is caused by a parasite which is spread by a particular species of mosquito (the anopheles mosquito). The disease is often fatal if not treated appropriately and in adequate time.
90% of the million people that die of Malaria each year are little children.
In fact every 30 seconds, a child dies of malaria.
In addition to children, the people most at risk of malaria are those in the poorest areas. People in refugee camps and flood affected areas.
These are breeding grounds for the anopheles mosquito.
Refugees in Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda who have fled their own countries to escape persecution, violence and war are all at very high risk of contracting malaria.
All it takes is one mosquito bite.
The majority of these stings happen at night while people are fast asleep.
And now for the most important part of this brief discussion.... Malaria IS preventable.
Studies estimate that 70 to 90% of malarial transmissions can be reduced by the use of a simple insecticide impregnated bed net.
The insecticide in the nets kills the mosquitos responsible for transmission of malaria and last for years. Now even if a child plays with the net and it becomes torn in some places, the mosquitos dont enter because of the insecticide....
A mosquito net for a bed.... costs $10.
Think about that for a moment.
The pain of this world runs deep, but often the solutions are far simpler than we might imagine...
I dont see the point in beating our chests and wallowing in sorrow, when we can be part of the solution....I never have.
So, on that note I'm gonna go purchase a couple of these nets right now and read more about how we can all make a difference to the lives of those affected by this disease from these great websites. Maybe I'll see you there ;)
http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
http://www.malarianomore.org/
Sometimes the heartache in this world seems like a raging river.
Impossible to overcome.
But I believe that every day we have the choice, to either add one more tear to the flood....
or to pick ourselves up,
and start building a bridge.
Here's to you Bridge builder,
Love the world into change,
Maithri
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What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.