“I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.” Psalm 101 King James Version.
Twelve-year-old Charlotte will be starting high school this September.
It’s a cause for celebration. Though young, Charlotte has had such consistent attacks of malaria that her mother worried she wouldn’t be as strong and healthy as she is now, and she may have not been able to go to school.
Malaria is a major cause of illness and death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.Congo) where Charlotte lives with her family of five, and staying healthy has been a constant struggle.
For Carlotte’s family, the tide turned against malaria when the household was given three sets of soft, billowing, green mosquito nets, impregnated with an insecticide that will remain effective for 10 years. The nets were made possible by the coordinated efforts of Source of Life Children Foundation Team in the D.R.Congo, with funding from the Source of Life Children Foundation’s headquarters in Australia.
Democratic Republic of Congo is among the poorest countries in the world. It has a precarious health system and a mortality rate that rose from 17‰ in 1988 to 20‰ in 2003. Malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis are the main causes of disease and mortality.
Improvement to the health system is key in the fight against malaria. To protect against Malaria, Source of Life Children Foundation partnered with the team members on ground to provide long-term insecticide-treated mosquito nets to thousands of people in the regions such as Mbaya, Ngeleka, Buluo, Kyantete, Ditengwa and Kankunka.
“Every week I had to leave my carpentry shop for taking my kids to the hospital. But at least I know that from now they are going to sleep under a mosquito net,” said a beneficiary.
According to medical statistics in these local regions, 90% percent of all consultations are for children under 5 years-old with Malaria. This occurs mostly during the rainy season.
A mosquito net to each needy child in D.R.Congo| Source of Life Children Foundation
Source of Life Children Foundation’s net distribution campaign focused on how best to use the nets and avoid Malaria. Communities such as Mbaya, Ngeleka, Buluo, Kyantete, Ditengwa and Kankunka have been displaying their awareness of how to wash and dry their nets. In addition to the health safety benefits, beneficiaries are grateful, as they would not have been able to afford the net that cost around 27,000 Congolese Franc (CDF Fr) each ($15 AUD). Charlotte’s mother, Ms. Kayumba, 38-years-old stated that she will prioritise her small income for school and food instead of mosquito nets or medical treatment for Malaria.
The distribution of long-term insecticide-treated mosquito nets acquired, in collaboration with Source of Life Children Foundation’s headquarters funding and its implementing partners and donors, will promote the health system of the Democratic Republic of Congo and ensure universal coverage of the net to the vulnerable population.
Malaria is hardest on children and the vulnerable
Twelve-year-old Charlotte will be starting high school this September. It’s a cause for celebration. Though young, Charlotte has had such consistent attacks of malaria that her mother worried she wouldn’t be as strong and healthy as she is now, and she may have not been able to go to school. Malaria is a major cause of illness in the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.Congo) where Charlotte lives with her family of five, and staying healthy has been a constant struggle.
Donate a Mosquito Net | Join the Global Fight Against Malaria
“Every week I had to leave my carpentry shop for taking my kids to the hospital. But at least I know that from now they are going to sleep under a mosquito net,” said a beneficiary. In addition to the health safety benefits, beneficiaries are grateful, as they would not have been able to afford the mosquito net that cost around 27,000 Congolese Franc (CDF Fr) each ($15 AUD). Charlotte’s mother, Ms. Kayumba, 38-years-old stated that she will prioritise her small income for school and food instead of mosquito nets or medical treatment for Malaria.
How is Source of Life Children Foundation helping?
Source of Life Children Foundation works in different countries in Africa where malaria is endemic. Our focus is on the most vulnerable children, living in the most difficult places, whom we want to see overcome poverty and experience fullness of life.
Since young children are one of the most susceptible groups to malaria, we are determined to see case numbers and fatalities decline.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Source of Life Children Foundation’s work has protected nearly three thousand people from malaria, in six communities.
One of the ways in which we can significantly reduce the spread of malaria is through donating Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), which involves coating surfaces and walls with insecticide to kill mosquitoes, and by donating long-term insecticide-treated mosquito nets. Our fight against malaria program in D.R.Congo reduced the number of recorded cases by nearly half in just two months.
