Souleiman, 9, our beloved orphan with cerebral palsy, holds up his new mosquito net from Shield City. One larger net costs just $3 USD, last for years, and is big enough to cover multiple children in the same bed.
Malaria season hit the Kano region hard this year. Most of our families live in nearby ghettos or shantytowns, where mosquitos thrive in the crowded conditions near standing water, where they can breed. The fever has just come on really strong this year and many of the kids from the center have struggled (one of our 14-year-old boys with cerebral palsy died from malaria last month). The strain of malaria in West Africa is the most lethal in the whole world. It can kill a person with a weakened immune system or no prior immunity within mere days. If left too long, people often have to be hospitalized to reverse the malaria fever. The boys on our football team have kept the clinic near our house very busy with all of their shots and medicines, as Shield City makes every effort to get them malaria meds when they are sick.
The good news is, malaria is somewhat preventable! Shield City has given out numerous mosquito nets and malaria medicine for many of our children. The nets are pre-treated with a mosquito repellent. Many of our families are sleeping in rooms of more than one person per night, so one net can be draped over multiple children each night.
The crazy math:
1 (yes, 1 mosquito net) costs just $3 USD
Malaria medication at the hospital costs $2 USD
Sooooo....
$25 USD can buy:
8 mosquito nets
Or 12.5 doses of malaria medication for a child.
Please consider a timely donation this year to help us get our Shield City children past this rough, rough rainy season. A little goes so far here in Nigeria! Donate below!
コメント