As we approach the end of 2010 I wanted to post some fabulously encouraging and amazing results.

In just two years, 578 million (yes, millions!) of people in sub-saharan Africa have been protected by Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets (ITMN).  According to the World Health Organization (WHO)

“Eleven of Africa’s 43 endemic countries are now reporting reductions of greater than 50 percent in either confirmed malaria cases or deaths over the past decade. Outside Africa, the malaria map is shrinking as more and more countries eliminate malaria from their territory.”   – WHO Director-General Margaret Chan

This is amazing!  And even more encouraging is if we can continue these types of gains in awareness, access and use of the mosquito nets deaths from malaria-related illnesses could end by 2015.

It’s definitely more encouraging than I would have thought and we continue to provide ITBNs through our partner “Save for Health” who teaches individuals how to use them and conducts the measurement and evaluation to make sure they’re being used properly and disease is reduced.

Even with this progress, a child still dies every 30 seconds of this treatable, preventable disease. And nearly one million people (mainly children in Africa) die each year from malaria.

The World Health Organization says funding for malaria control programs, until recently, has been very good. Unfortunately, contributions in 2010 have leveled off and the amounts pledged fall far short of needs.

At the end of the day, what this really means is (1) mosquito nets really work, and (2) we still need more funding to eradicate malaria by 2015.

The Just Like My Child Foundation has already distributed enough insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 45,000 children under the age of five and pregnant mothers. We’re making a huge impact, but we desperately need your help to continue to save the lives.

It only costs $10 to distribute an insecticide-treated bed net that protects up to 3 children from the bite of a mosquito at night — the time when they are most active.

$10    = 3 children protected from Malaria

$100   = 30 children protected from Malaria

$1,000   = 300 children protected from Malaria

Your donation does not go to a large organization that uses only a portion of your funds to protect children from malaria.  Just Like My Child purchases the nets ourselves and make sure they get right to the families who need them most.

Please make your final tax-deductible donation for 2010 to a life-saving cause.  You will be protecting children from malaria and giving them hope for a productive future.  Please donate today.

To read more about the amazing results of reported by WHO, go to:

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Malaria-Control-Programs-Save-Thousands-of-Lives-111867099.html

Or

http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/africa:-who-says-578-million-africans-protected-by-anti-malaria-nets-2010121564244.html

If you have been following the news lately the economic reports are saying that this past holiday spending period has been the strongest since 2007.  This news makes people feel good as holiday spending is considered a thermostat of our overall economic environment and it is credited as a key indicator that the economy is moving in the right direction.

So how did you spend your money this holiday and how are you planning to close out the year?

Here are a few eye-opening statistics for you.

In a single calendar year…

We spend over $32 billion on video games
We spend over $45 billion feeding our dogs and cats in North America alone.
We spend over $61 billion trying to lose weight
We spend over $160 billion trying to make us look younger

Now consider that if we wanted to send every child on the PLANET to school each year, it would cost $11 Billion.  According to Cynthia Kersey, founder of the Unstoppable Foundation, an organization that raises money to help Just Like My Child Foundation and other organizations build schools, that number represents only HALF the money the US spends on ice cream.  Ice Cream!

So what would happen if you decided to finish out 2010 with a gift from the heart?

Donations to Just Like My Child will bring progress and empowerment to entire communities for the price of the average gift card.

$25      Parasite and De-worming Treatment for 25 students
$50      Lunch for 5 students for 1 term (3 terms per year)
$100    Insecticide -Treated Bed Net for 30 people PLUS Malaria Prevention and Treatment Education
$200    Bicycle for family members to get to and from school, town and medical aide
$300    Pair of poultry / livestock to breed or an agricultural kit with seed PLUS health education and business and financial training workshops for HIV+ women – Enabling them to create their own sustainable business to support their family and send their children to school.

If you still have a few colleagues, clients or friends you forgot to buy for, you can also purchase a charity Good Card so that the recipient could use to donate to one of 1.2 million charities.

To donate directly to any of the Just Like My Child programs, please click here. https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=39639

David Beckham and Andy Murray are promoting what looks like a horror movie entitled, The Hunting Moon. The teaser trailer is only 20 seconds.  At the end it spurs the viewer to go to the website and watch the one minute trailer with a link that reads Click Here for the Full Horror.  Who could resist?  Only after you are hooked and interested in finding out when the movie is released, are you invited to watch the Reveal Trailer – a second trailer that provides statistics, prevention and education about malaria in a visually appealing and almost “hip” way.

Kudos to the creators of this video series for bringing the deadly affects of malaria to the world’s population in a viral way.

Watch the teaser trailer here:  http://www.youtube.com/TheHuntingMoon or click on the video below.

At Just Like My Child we are so grateful for your donations.  We continue to apply the much-needed funds to supply the poorest communities of Uganda with mosquito nets, malaria medications and education to help reduce the catastrophic number of annual deaths from malaria.

Please help us continue our efforts to help so many young children and their families take control over the health and circumstances by making a donation.  https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108watch?v=PQ3TJDZuTSc

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Here is a surprising answer to the question of what costs Africa $12 billion a year in economic loss. Malaria.  Every 45 seconds a child in Africa dies from malaria.

In the U.S. we might think that malaria is similar to many other diseases – it is preventable and treatable.  So why does it contribute to so many deaths and costs Africa billions of dollars?  Because Just Like My Child has been working in Uganda for four years now we are painfully and sometimes personally aware of the affects of malaria and we assume everyone knows what we know.

I was recently asked the question of why Africa has one of the highest rates of  malaria-related deaths.  Why there and not here?  What makes the U.S. and other nations less susceptible?  That is when I realized sometimes I take for granted the education I have received through my work in Uganda.  Those “simple” questions spurred the content for this blog post.

Malaria is typically found in warmer regions of the world such as tropical countries with consistently higher temperatures.    Therefore many areas in sub-Saharan Africa are ideal climates for malaria-carrying mosquitos.  So you might think that tropical parts of the U.S. would have the same problems.  The fact is that states like Florida did suffer from high rates of malaria. However, the U.S. Government made a concerted effort to eliminate malaria through spraying of DDT in the 1950s. Environmentalists argued against DDT, but no one can argue against saving the lives of millions of children. Many experts would agree that malaria could be drastically reduced in sub-Saharan Africa through focused political will and financial commitment on the part of indigenous and international governments.  Visit http://www.3billionandcounting.com/ for a controversial yet thought-provoking discussion on this topic.

Another reason why Africa suffers more than most areas from malaria is a result of its vicious cycle of poverty.  If you start with an impoverished developing country and add a deadly disease that is easily transmittable from insect to human with medical aid miles away, you are destined to see a struggle not likely found in other countries.

Malaria is a drain on the already impoverished communities of Africa.  The more often a family suffers from malaria the more a parent has to choose taking care of the child over working.  The less money they make, the fewer the opportunity to get access to preventive medicine and education in very rural areas.

The largest population of children in Uganda and many adults cannot wait for new treatments to be distributed.  In many cases, the drugs will not find their way to the most rural areas without additional resources for doing so.

At Just Like My Child we are constantly improving the means and methods for reaching the children most susceptible to severe malaria illness and death.  Our reach is expanding and through improved education about prevention and distribution for protective nets we are making progress.

These proven protective nets are an inexpensive way to protect a child, improve a family and provide opportunities for a community.  A $100 donation will help 30 individuals to a change the course of a cycle of poverty to one of self-reliance.

Please donate today at:  https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=26195&Itemid=108

In previous posts I wrote about the distribution of mosquito bed nets to the rural communities of Uganda.  This is one way to help combat the unbelievable statistics that a child dies every 30 seconds of this treatable, preventable disease. And nearly one million people (mainly children in Africa) die each year from malaria, the mosquito-borne parasitic disease.

Preventing the initial bites is critical, as is treating people who already have these parasites in their body.  According to research, “an estimated 10 to 100 parasites per mosquito bite invade the liver where they replicate. About a week after infection, tens of thousands of parasites are released into the bloodstream where they are responsible for malaria’s recurring fevers and life-threatening complications.”  (Full research article)

So the question is once these already frail children are bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes, what can be done?  New research has shown success in utilizing preventive antibiotics as a vaccine-like immunity against re-infection.  A study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine describes this antibiotic as a ‘needle-free’ natural vaccine against malaria specifically designed to control malaria in poor communities.

“In this study, the researchers showed that the antibiotics caused a cellular defect in malaria parasites during their passage into the liver of the infected host. This action did not prevent parasite replication in the liver but blocked the malaria parasite’s fatal conversion to the disease causing blood stage. The very late arrest of parasites in the liver allowed the immune system to mount a robust defense against subsequent infections, akin to experimental whole organism vaccine strategies using attenuated parasites.”

This is great progress on a research and trial level.  However, in what year and in what areas will this vaccine be available?  Many adults and a large population of children in Uganda cannot wait for these ground breaking antibiotics.  It is important that we use our resources now to provide education and distribution channels for insecticide-treated nets and existing drugs to the communities that are losing their children at alarming rates.

You can help support the efforts to make resources available to what are best described as ‘resource-poor’ communities such as Uganda.  You can contribute to our life-saving and life-empowering programs here

An I.V. had to be inserted into her head because all of her other veins were collapsed from dehydration.

As I stood watching helplessly, all I could think of was:

“What would I do if this was my child?”

One evening last month when I was in Uganda, I met a beautiful little girl named Violet at the Bishop Asili Hospital. She was seven months old and was just fat enough to let you know that she was well taken care of.

As soon as her eyes met mine, she turned to her mother, as if to ask, “who is this very different-looking creature?”

I was probably the first and last white woman she would ever see.

Dr. Charles Lwanga was trying to locate a vein anywhere on Violet’s tiny body to begin hydration and first line Malaria treatment. A lab test had diagnosed her with Malaria. The fluid depletion caused by high fever and other symptoms of Malaria make a baby’s veins virtually disappear. Violet’s head had to be shaved in search of a vein that can be entered. Treatment can’t begin until a viable vein is located.

In Violet’s case, the treatment came too late. In the middle of the night, Violet passed away.

Malaria from the type of mosquito found in Uganda can kill in as little as 36 hours. Even faster in a little baby.

It was a grim day, if I were Violet’s mother, I couldn’t have gone forward with life. Period. End of Story. I would have lost my will to live. But it made my resolution even stronger to stop this preventable and treatable disease from ever affecting babies like Violet in the first place.

Every 30 seconds a child dies of Malaria, a completely preventable and treatable disease.

The Just Like My Child Foundation has already distributed enough insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 45,000 children under five and pregnant mothers. We’re making a huge impact, but we desperately need your help to continue to save the lives of babies like Violet.

It’s so easy to make difference, it’s kind of crazy.

What can you do? For the price of a mocha latte you can save a life.

It only costs $10 to distribute an insecticide-treated bed net that protects up to 3 children from the bite of a mosquito at night — the time when they are most active.

Three little girls receive their insecticide-treated bed nets

$10         = 3 children protected from Malaria
$100       = 30 children protected from Malaria
$1000     = 300 children protected from Malaria

We purchase the nets ourselves and make sure they get right to the families who need them most.

The Just Like My Child Foundation works directly with communities on the ground to get funding and programs to the people who need it most. We don’t work through corrupt governments, we know exactly where money is going, and we are achieving remarkable results.

Help us observe World Malaria Day with a tax-deductible donation to Just Like My Child Foundation to help save the lives of babies like Violet. We welcome of course any amount you want to give, we just want to hear from you.

We know these are challenging times, but there’s no limit to what we can do if we pull together.

With Warmest Wishes,
Vivian Glyck
Founder and Executive Director
Just Like My Child Foundation

www.JustLikeMyChild.org

Save For Health Uganda  is an organization based in Luweero that provides community-based health insurance schemes to more than 5,000 clients. Many of these clients use Bishop Asili as their health care provider. Save For Health has now partnered with Bishop Asili in distribution of over 3,000 mosquito nets that have been donated to the hospital by Just Like My Child Foundation. The mosquito nets will be distributed by Save For Health to members of the insurance schemes for a subsidized cost of 2,500/=UGSH. These mosquito nets will serve as an incentive to those involved in the program to continue to value the health of their households. The money from the sale of those nets will be used by  Bishop Asili to pay for the salaries of much needed additional staff.

Nazibanja Juliet (Save For Health, project Coordinator) and Tessa Davis (Just Like My Child Foundation, Country Director) meet to go over terms of agreement for the new partnership as well as discuss logistics of distribution

Save For Health comes to pick up the mosquito nets from Bishop Asili Hospital

The mosquito nets will be sold at a subsidized rate to eager communities who value health in the coming months

]]> http://justlikemychild.com/blog/health/malaria/mosquito-net-distribution/feed/ 0 http://justlikemychild.com/blog/health/malaria/malaria-and-murchison/ http://justlikemychild.com/blog/health/malaria/malaria-and-murchison/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000 Dena Lewerke http://justlikemychildimport.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/malaria-and-murchison/ October 30th, 2008
Well it was bound to happen and so eventually of course it did. I got malaria and it was awful on every level imaginable. I won’t get into the gory details, but I was confined to my bed for several days. When I finally emerged out of my feverish state I had to get out of my room and into the open for a breath of fresh air. One of the best parts about living in Uganda is the magnificent wildlife and impressive game parks. This giraffe and I are at Murchison Falls National Park, which is located north of the capital city, Kampala. I was also able to see elephants, water buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, water bucks, warthogs, baboons and a wide variety of bird life among other wildlife during this particular trip. It was a much needed and refreshing break.

(Left to Right: Salango of the BA HIV Post Test Club, John of the Community Outreach Team & Nicholyn Chang)
Left: Allen, Right: Patient of Bishop Asili Clinic)
We also sat in on a practice focus group discussion led by John and Allen, which is a means by which to get feedback on the same issue, but using a different forum. Nicholyn describes it as triangulation, which is a strategy used to ensure accuracy in data collection.

Afterwords, John and Allen came by to review the practice session that we conducted. We went over all of the questions and talked about all of the necessary changes. Nicholyn took notes so that she can make changes to the document before we conduct the actual survey. It was really interesting to learn what kinds of changes needed to be made (e.g. Malaria should be referred to as “Fever”) in order to ensure that average villagers will understand the questions being asked of them. We gave John and Allen a great deal of praise for all of their hard work. Allen had other commitments to a family member in Kampala, but he stayed in Luwero for the day to help us with this practice survey and for no compensation.
http://www.justlikemychild.com/

Today, I sat in on one of the many of Nicholyn’s meeting with the Bishop Asili Community Outreach Group over the last month. They spent the afternoon discussing the next steps for planning the mosquito net distribution. They spoke about the importance of pre-testing the questions that they intend to ask during their baseline survey so that they can revise any questions that may need revising before going out to conduct the actual. They talked about the breakdown of communities that will be involved in the operation, so that they can begin determining how many leaders at the grassroots level will need to be notified and sensatized before the distribution takes place. They also began discussing what information would be needed in order to create a budget for the mosquito net distribution, such as the cost of transport to and from the communities involved. It was a productive and interactive meeting to say the least.

http://www.justlikemychild.com/