Texans Called to Cover Cote d'Ivoire With Mosquito Nets
By Eleanor L. Colvin
Director of Communications,
The Nothing But Nets campaign for Malaria prevention will be a key focus of the new ministry partnership between he
It is estimated that 78 percent of African children under the age of 5 become infected with Malaria and that half of those children die. One out of eight African children is predicted to not live to the age of five because of the disease. In the time it took to read the first two paragraphs of this article,
Malaria claimed another African life. �We pray throughour partnership that God will bring about the next generation of healthy children,� said Bishop Janice Riggle Huie. �We, too, pray that we will be part of a partnership that acts on Jesus� command to love our neighbors as ourselves. And you are our neighbors.�
The deadliest killer
The effects of Malaria arefar reaching and not limited to health matters, hence the reason the disease has caught the attention of diverse entities. �It�s been contributed to being the No. 1 cause of poverty on the continent,� said Elizabeth McKee, director of marketing for the United Nations Foundation. �Malaria costs
It is this profound impact on the continent and world that drives Nothing But Nets. McKee said this is the first time world development organizations have come together to work on one issue. The Nothing But Nets partnership unites groups such as the National Basketball Association, the
While there can be political and social obstacles to introducing this type of initiative in developing nations, the political leaders of Cote d�Ivoire were open to learning about the Nothing But Nets campaign that will prevent the spread of Malaria in their country through the distribution of insecticide treated bed nets and disease control educational campaigns.
�This is a gift of God to bring you to
Malaria kills more people here than HIV. You can prevent Malaria, but sometimes the resources don�t exist.� That sentiment was echoed when the delegation visited with the
AIDS because AIDS does not have a remedy. People are so scared of AIDS � people feel doomed. In terms of quantity, in our country, Malaria kills more people than AIDS.� Gbagbo commended and endorsed the partnership.
�We welcome this initiative,� the president said. �I�m happy you are talking church to church, conference to conference and I will support this initiative. It is our priority as the state to assist such initiatives.�
How does it work?
Insecticide treated bed nets have been identified as the most cost effective way to prevent the spread of Malaria. There are medicines used to treat and prevent the disease, but often they are expensive and not widely available. Treated bed nets cost $10. More often than not, entire families sleep under one net. �Even if only half the village is covered,� McKee said, �it�s depleting the mosquito population of the whole village.� The nets are effective for approximately five years.
And, what happens after five years? McKee said Malaria research is presently being funding, which will hopefully result in a vaccination for the disease. Methodists in the Texas Conference are invited to make donations through the conference as opposed to other websites, in an effort to keep track of TAC donations and ensure that funds are earmarked for nets for
Checks may be made payable to the Texas Annual Conference, with Nothing But Nets in the memo line. The campaign is also designated as Advance Special 982015. More information on the campaign is available at www.umc.org.