NETwork Against Malaria

Belleville, United States
Team Contact: NETworkMC12
Team Type: Youth Venture
Team Phase: Succeeding in Selection Panel

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About Us

We raise money to purchase mosquito nets in Uganda. These nets reduce those affected by malaria and save many lives.

Our Venture idea is to raise money to buy malaria nets for young children, school age children, and pregnant women in Uganda. One malaria net costs about $10.00. We are directed by four sisters – one college aged sister, two high-school sisters, and one grade-school sister and include a multi-racial committee.
We want to create a Venture to organize a diverse group of children and teenagers in our community to help raise money for the purpose of purchasing malaria nets in Uganda. Malaria nets are important for the reduction of mosquito bites which cause malaria. We have identified a need for malaria nets in Uganda by talking with our friend Father Michael Chris Mujule of the Diocese of Hoima, Uganda. Father Mujule has had malaria 3 times and almost died of it twice. For information about Father Mujule please see: www.ugpulse.com/articles/daily/homepage.asp?ID=195 , www.ungei.org/listserve/files.03_23May2007.doc , www.biodelle.org/religious_life/menreligious/listing.html
These nets will benefit children, pregnant women, and unborn babies of Uganda by providing malaria nets for them to sleep under. The nets reduce mosquito bites, the cause of malaria. Children who sleep under a net are less likely to become ill with malaria and miss fewer days of school. In Uganda, a school age child misses an annual average of 60 days of school due to malaria. This severely impacts the child's ability to learn and acquire an education. Malaria weakens the child's immune system and ability to fight off other diseases. One to three million children in Sub-Saharan Africa die of Malaria each year. In Uganda 93% percent of the total population is at risk for malaria. 30% of Ugandan children under the age of 5 years old die from malaria each year. Malaria affects between 300 and 600 million people each year. That is more than tuberculosis, AIDS, measles, and leprosy combined. Of that, 3,000 children die of malaria everyday, one child every 30 seconds.

Interests

Arts and Culture, Children, Community Organizing, Cultural Awareness, Education, Elderly, Health, Healthy Lifestyles, International Issues, Poverty, Youth Empowerment

Our Team is looking for help with…

Right now we need help making it through the selection panel. We also need more ideas on recruiting volunteers and innovative fundraising ideas.

More about us...

How does your group impact your community?

The benefit to our community in Southern Illinois is as follows. On the grade school level, we are a school community which has just recently merged two schools. One school (St. Henry's School) was about 60% African American and had to close because of lack of funds and enrollment. Many of the children who attended this school came from East St. Louis, Illinois. The second school (Our Lady Queen of Peace) was over 85% Caucasian and was more economically stable. Most of the children who attended the second school live in Belleville, Illinois. We are a merging community. The entire school would benefit to work together to help children who are poor and at great risk of malaria. Althoff Catholic High School is the high school which also has great economic diversity, and serves students of many racial backgrounds. NETwork Against Malaria will help the students unite as a group regardless of race or background. The students will also learn the seriousness of the illness of malaria, living conditions in Uganda, and the school system. It will empower the students as to the impact they can have on the lives of Ugandan children. It will educate them as to the impact they can have at home, in their school, in their community, and the community of the world. Many of the students who will get involved in this program are from Southern Illinois; Father Mujule has come to Southern Illinois from Africa to serve the people here. This Venture will be run by students who have benefited by the presence and service of Father Chris Mujule. For the students to give money for the purchase of malaria nets will be one way of saying “thank you” to Fr. Mujule and the people of Uganda. In order to understand this project you must understand the relationship between the people of the Diocese of Hoima and the people of Southern Illinois, Belleville Diocese. To allow Father Mujule to come to Southern Illinois, the very materially poor people of Uganda gave up a very important member of their community. Father Mujule started 3 schools in Uganda, one grade school, one co-ed high school and one all girls’ high school with a dormitory connected. Father Mujule has a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Portland in America. He speaks seven languages; many of these are tribal languages. He is a great natural resource for the people of Uganda. We will also be helping the community of the diocese of Hoima, Uganda raising funds to buy malaria nets. This will directly impact their health, commerce, and quality of life.

How many people have been impacted by your group?

We have only just begun our Venture so about nine people who have helped start us up have been effected.

Looking back we should have...

We have only just begun our Venture.

Looking back we did a great job at...

We have only just begun our Venture

What we really enjoy about being young changemakers is...

When you are a young changemaker you can see the difference you are making in the community. Knowing that you are helping someone and touching their life is an amazing feeling. By making differences you know that you have impacted someone's life. No matter how small or how gently you have touched them, you can take pride in this forever. In NETwork Against Malaria we are saving lives of youg children in Uganda. This a major accomplishment.

What other youth networks are you involved in? What other websites do you belong to, other youth organizations, etc.?

Our members are very involved. Some of our memebers wrote and published Yummies for Sensitive Tummies Cookbook. It is a cookbook written for children with Gastro-Intestinal disorders. Our members are also part of the girlscouts, boyscouts, venture scouts, National Honor Socity, St. Vincent De Paul Club, sports teams and many other clubs.