Malaria is a major health issue for nearly half of the world’s population, and especially for those living in the poorest parts of the world. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that is particularly endemic in Sub-Saharan regions in Africa. There are many people involved in the fight against malaria, including scientists that work on different ways to combat the spread of malaria and that look for a cure, as well as philanthropists and charitable organizations that donate their time and money to help those in need.
Before we dive in, we’d like to share some surprising statistics about malaria in Africa, and around the world:
- Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from malaria.
- Each year, malaria infects over 200 million people, killing nearly one million of them.
- Malaria alone costs the African continent $12 billion a year in economic loss.
There are many charitable organizations that support anti-malaria initiatives, like the JC Flowers Foundation. The JC Flowers Foundation, founded by J. Christopher Flowers, has worked extensively with malaria prevention initiatives since launching NetsforLife in 2004.
NetsforLife, as well as other similar initiatives like NothingButNets, allow you to help combat malaria by sending sleeping nets to countries in need. People in these areas will sleep beneath these mosquito nets, protecting in their sleep from mosquitos that might bite them and thereby spread malaria.
NothingButNets was created by the UN Foundation and is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funding to combat malaria. This initiative gained worldwide attention in 2006 when Rick Reilly’s Sports Illustrated column about malaria challenged each reader to donate $10 for the purchase of anti-malaria bed nets. NothingButNets has adopted the $10 pledge, and used it as a baseline ever since.
There are also many other malaria initiatives around the world, including the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, ACTMalaria, Medicines for Malaria Venture, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and many others. For more information about global Malaria initiatives, check out this comprehensive infographic list from the Malaria Foundation International.
If you want to join the fight against Malaria, helping any one of the organizations described in this article will make a difference!