Take a Bite Out of Malaria Project

In Africa, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.

An estimated 1.2 million people die of malaria each year, and tens of millions suffer chronically from the debilitating disease.

Malaria is preventable. It is treatable. It can be cured. Malaria is caused by a parasite that is introduced through the “bite” of a female Anopheles mosquito. This parasite is passed from the infected person to a new host into the blood by the mosquito. Malaria is not a contagious disease, it is an infectious disease.

Malaria is a serious threat to life, health, and wealth in the developing world. People with malaria are unable to function normally or even get out of bed for days. Other health issues are complicated by the addition of this disease. Homes have little defense without screens or spraying. Standing water provides a breeding place for the mosquitoes, which multiply rapidly. A relapse of malaria is also possible because the parasite remains in the blood then in the liver.

Although malaria is most commonly associated with poverty, it can also be listed as a cause of poverty and a huge roadblock to economic development.

There is a simple solution: treated bed nets.

Special mosquito nets are immersed in insecticide, dried, then hung over the bed to cover all who sleep there. A Kenyan government study stated that for every 1,000 nets used, the lives of seven children were saved. The researchers found that in the hardest-hit regions, treated bed nets reduced childhood malaria deaths by about a third. That’s just with bed nets alone!

Treated nets last longer than conventional mosquito netting. The treated nets kill the mosquitoes before they can find their human targets, and the greater the number of bed nets, the greater the number of mosquitoes eliminated! The greater the number of mosquitoes eliminated, the fewer cases of malaria in any given community.

We can purchase these treated nets for $10 each – a reasonable price yet out of reach for most families in Africa who are affected by malaria. Each net will cover one bed. In most homes, several sleep in one bed. The nets will effectively work about 4 years! So, each net has the potential to save 1, 3, 5 or more lives! If many homes in a community receive these nets, the incidences of malaria can be reduced by huge percentages. Hundreds of lives will be spared. Imagine that … just from a simple net.

We use the gifts of the bed nets to focus peoples’ attention on God’s love and how He values each life. Lives saved from the consquences of malaria help people to listen to the truth and understand what that means in a most personal way. Unbelievers come to believe, and Christians are strengthened in their walk with Christ. You can partner with us in this simple way of saving lives for today and for eternity.

To order the Take a Bite Out of Malaria VBS project materials, call 317.578.2700 or email Nichole Kiszla.