attack of the killer.... mosquito?

A couple days ago my friend Troy posed a great question on his facebook. He asked "Does anyone have a cause that they would like more people to be aware of? Something that moves your heart? Something that stirs your soul? Let me know!" What a great question! I of course told him, "How much time do you have because we need to sit down and chat about this." During the past couple of years, I have been researching different causes, movements and organizations around the world that I'm wanting to get more involved in. I've loved learning about each and every one of them and want to find more ways to spread the awareness of each cause. Some that have sparked the most interest in me are ones like Mocha Club, Invisible Children, Blood:Water Mission, Global Support Mission, International Justice Mission, Compassion International,  To Write Love on Her Arms, Falling Whistles and Got Your Back Movement (to name a few :)

One movement that I became aware of recently through Twitter, called Nothing But Nets, is hosting a sleep out on April 24 in L.A., NYC, DC, Seattle, Philly and Nashville to end Malaria. Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign used to raise awareness and funding to combat malaria, one of the largest killers of children in Africa. With a $10 contribution, Nothing But Nets provides individuals the opportunity to join the global fight against malaria by sending a net and saving a life.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much harm one mosquito can actually do? For us, they are just the tiny insects buzzing around hoping to latch on for a quick bite, it's more annoying that anything.  But for others, if bit, could mean life or death. If you never saw Malaria as being a huge threat to the human population, especially those in developing countries, think again. Malaria is directly affecting and blocking the movement of the Millenium Development Goals (pictured above), which are the eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world's main development challenges. 

Fact: Malaria is preventable, but causes nearly 500 million illnesses each year and kills more than 1 million of those who become infected.

Fact: Ninety percent of deaths caused by malaria occur in Africa, where the disease is a leading killer of children. Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.

Fact: Malaria is the #1 killer of refugees in Africa. Two-thirds of the 33 million refugees worldwide live in malaria endemic countries.

According to Malaria Progress: In addition to the human toll malaria exacts, the economic and social impacts are also devastating: Sick children miss school, tourism suffers, and foreign investment is stifled. Annual economic loss in Africa due to malaria is estimated to be $12 billion, representing a crippling 1.3 percent annual loss in GDP growth in endemic countries. Malaria becomes a self-perpetuating problem, where the disease prevents the human and economic capital necessary to bring the disease under control. Moreover, malaria disproportionately affects the rural poor who can neither afford a bed net for prevention, nor access appropriate treatment when they fall sick.

The thing that is most sad to me is how preventable a lot of these diseases and deaths are, it's just a matter of knowing how you can help/get involved. But I think because those in the US are not directly affected by these situations, we don't take it as seriously as one should. Universal bed net coverage is the most effective malaria prevention tool there is, and as little as a $10 dollar donation, you could save a life. You could skip one night out at the movies or two Starbucks stops and start to put a dent in the 1 million deaths occuring ever year. Even if you can't afford the $10, the least you can do is join one of the sleep outs happening on April 24 and/or sign the Petition for Congress to show our world leaders in a very public and meaningful way that we care about ending malaria deaths in Africa.

For those living locally in Nashville, check out the 20 for 10 Campaign from When the Night Comes. Better late then never :)