Okay guys, I have been asked to help out Nothing But Nets (
http://nothingbutnets.net/), which helps provide nets to Children in Africa (mostly South Sudan) so they do not die of malaria. I just wanted to share with you guys a story, that I personally felt was very touching an relatable, about a family in a very poor village. I spoilered it since it is kinda long.
The family
By Irčne, 16 years old
One family, living in Togo, has three children. It was a very poor family, living in very unpleasant conditions. An NGO who had opened up in their area took care of some poor families and this family was one of the fortunate ones who gained from this. The NGO helped these families a lot. One year, the NGO offered all the families treated mosquito nets for their children.
When the malaria net arrived at the house, the father of the family, instead of giving it to his children, took it for himself saying that children and women did not need mosquito nets as it was the men who worked, and therefore they needed to be strong.
As if the die had been cast, two weeks later the three children fell ill, one after the other. After medical tests, they found out that the children had malaria. The father, seeing his children in this state, didn’t do anything but treated them as if they were lazy.
One week, two weeks went by, and the children were still ill. Then the mother decided to take them to hospital and it was there she found out that the children had malaria. What could be done? The father had to help out with some money and sell a little of his harvest to care for his children, because their health had become much worse. He and his wife spent a lot of money to save their children, but unfortunately the youngest of the family, who was only seven years old, died a week later. The father and mother cried, moaned and said that if they had known they would have let their children sleep under the mosquito net.
The damage is now done. Everyone is accusing them of the death of their child. But how many families are in the same position as this one? The grown-ups prefer to sleep under the mosquito net and leave the children, without knowing that they are the most vulnerable. Women and children don’t count!
(
http://www.planusa.org/content396779, if you want the original source.)
Every 30 seconds, a African child dies because of Malaria, and over the course of a year Malaria infects 216 million people and out of those kills 655,000 people (2010 WHO). It is really easy for you to help, each Malaria net, is only ten dollars, lasts 3 years, and can save the lives of vulenerable children.
As an aside, if you guys have done anything to earn you some bad karma recently, like say raging at stupid peopel driving onthe road because of your road rage, then this would be a good way to balance out your karma.
Also guys, we will have a facebook page latter, so make sure to keep checking in so you can like it when I put it up.
Author
Topic: Project V (/help ppl w/ malaria) (Read 606 times)