Students raise funds for malaria nets

Students of all ages in the central region have done their part to help children sleep in somewhat easier conditions, thanks to recent fundraising efforts.

Gander Academy, Glovertown Academy, Smallwood Academy in Gambo, Holy Cross School Complex in Eastport, Matthew Elementary in Bonavista, and Avoca Collegiate in Badger joined together to raise almost $10,000 to go towards the purchase of malaria nets for children in Africa.

With matching funds provided by the Pindoff Millennium Fund, 2,800 bed nets were purchased.

Malaria is a disease with a far-reaching grip on the African continent. According to the Canadian Red Cross website, it is the leading cause of death there for children under five, and kills 3,000 children each day.

The disease is carried by mosquitoes, and treatments are available, but often not within the means of those living with the illness in Africa.

Malaria bed nets provide a preventative measure for keeping children safe from the disease. Relatively cost-effective, the nets offer families protection from mosquitoes at night, when the malaria-carrying parasites are most likely to strike. One net can cover four-to-five people, and may last up to five years.

The schools were given a national award for excellence in programs and services by the Red Cross. District community supervisor Linda Kelland said the schools embraced the program.

"The contribution that these students made was outstanding," she said.

Over 600,000 nets were recently sent to Africa through the efforts of Canadians, said Ms. Kelland. Since 2003, the Canadian Red Cross has helped distribute over five million nets.

"The number of children in Africa is vast, and these bed nets are embedded with a repellent," she said, adding families who receive the bed nets are educated on how to properly use them.

Ms. Kelland said the efforts of students who took part in the fundraising works on a level beyond helping those prone to Malaria across the ocean.

"This wasn't about raising money only. This was about raising awareness. It touched so many areas within regular school curriculum," she said, citing subjects such as geography and social studies.

"We're growing up in a society where we need to be globally aware, and this particular project gave those students that opportunity - to be globally aware.

"All children have a right to a safe place to sleep. Here in Canada, we provide that for our children. In Africa, children at night time sleep with life-threatening parasitic disease travelling by mosquito. Here in Canada, we can make a difference, and I think that's a wonderful thing. I think it's really fitting that this was children helping children."

info@ganderbeacon.ca