:::: ESPERANÇA - SAVING CHILDREN'S LIVES ::::

An ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure. We use simple public health tools, like malaria nets and educational campaigns, to save the lives of many annually.

Have you ever gone camping and realized after a peaceful night of sleeping under the stars that you forgot the bug spray? You wake up with an itch on your ankle. After scratching you find that the itch increases ten-fold and you are now feeling the same discomfort on your arms and legs. Mosquito bites can be an annoyance. In Africa, they can be lethal. Malaria will kill 1 million African children in 2005. Bugs around the world influence the daily health and lifespan of many. Yet, prevention is simple.

Matilde, our director in Mozambique, fights malaria daily. The mosquito-borne disease infects humans through the insect’s bite. The parasite attacks the liver and other organs and causes severe fever. In her own home, Matilde makes sure her children sleep with their bed nets tucked securely under their sheets. She teaches her community supervisors and team of health activists how to educate their families, friends and neighbors about the importance of the malaria nets we distribute. More importantly, they learn that these nets must be retreated with insecticide every four months. The activists reach out to their community contacts and distribute these life-saving public health tools.

Palmira, our director in Bolivia, fights Chagas disease daily. Chagas disease is a parasitic illness transmitted by a nocturnal insect that lives in thatch roofing. In her own home, she tucks her children to bed under the security of a tile roof – one where the diseased bug cannot hide. She teaches her community supervisors and teams of promotoras how to educate their neighbors about Chagas disease – the leading cause of heart disease in South America. She encourages those with large cystic clots of the parasite to seek treatment. She uses donations to create tile roofing projects, eliminating the thatch environment.