The following post comes from Randa Kuziez, a former Tony Blair Faiths Act Fellow with the Malaria Policy Center, on her thoughts about this year’s Ramadan and a look back at her time in Africa.
During the Muslim month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from food, drink, and marital relations during the daylight hours. Ramadan is a time for transformation and spiritual cleansing, to reprioritize where one is in his or her life, where her or she wants to be, and how that is being reflected in his or her actions.
The past 22 Ramadans I’ve spent with my family fasting with an understanding from the Quran that says, “Fasting has been prescribed to you, as it has been to others before you.” I knew that, in theory, I was fasting in solidarity with those who don’t have enough food to break their fast with, and I also knew this was a month of sacrifice and humility. Despite efforts to make this a reality by extra service and charity during the month, the concept of solidarity didn’t come to fruition until last year.
Exactly one year ago today, I was in spending Ramadan in field training for the Faiths Act Fellowship in Mali with Project Muso Ladamunen. There, I felt this solidarity; to be in a place where I knew the hunger pangs of those fasting for the majority was a common practice, and not a voluntary one, as mine were. In addition, our visit to Mali occurred during the rainy season, a time when malaria infections and deaths rise significantly. On many occasions, especially the story I share below, is where I found my Ramadan call to action.
I recall a visit to Bamako’s Gabriel Toure Hospital which really put a face to those suffering from Malaria and demonstrated the sense of urgency we need in fighting this disease. While walking through the crowded rooms, the doctor told us he was seeing as many as 150 cases during the day, and 60 at night. Each room, which normally housed 4 patients in four single beds, currently had 2 to a bed, and 3 on the floor between the beds, thus 14 people shared a 4 person room. Another room, with the cases of grave malaria had over 20 patients in a coma like state, with their parents patiently waiting and praying for them, unsure of their children’s fate. As we stepped out of this room, the doctor shared with us a very painful and real statistic- around 5 or more patients passed each day in the room that we just stepped out of; the room with the praying mothers; the ones who quietly greeted us in. We felt like intruders, and they considered us guests fulfilling the Malian tradition of visiting the sick, whether we knew them or not.
I saw, right in front of me, how this preventable disease was affecting these children, their families, the entire family dynamic, and the entire country infrastructure. The doctor then reminded us that these are the families that had the means to reach or afford the treatment. A feeling of immense responsibility overtook me, and in a rush of tears I attempted to hide from the doctor, I expressed what our entire group was feeling, and the doctor gave me an answer reflecting those on the ground involved in malaria eradication. “No, Don’t lose hope, this is why we are working.” In that, he gave us a message of hope, but also a deep and urgent call to action. This is urgent, this is NOW, and it shouldn’t be happening. To us, that mosquito may have just been a nuisance, an eventual bite scar I can point to and reflect on how uncomfortable it was to constantly be bitten, but to them, it really is a potential situation of life and death. The world can’t stand by and continue to let this happen. Although that hospital visit is the one I shared, we saw a similar situation in another health clinic, and it was replicated all over the country.
I realized they were the reason why we were on this fellowship, the reason the Malaria Policy Center exists. The Faiths Act Fellowship brought together young leaders inspired by their faith to be ambassadors for the Millennium Development Goals and inspire other young people to do the same, specifically aiding in efforts to eliminate deaths attributed to malaria by 2015. Achieving this goal, Millennium Development Goal 6, would hit the targets for many of the other MDG’s.
Last year, I understood my Ramadan call to action. Now, reflecting on this experience, I invite you to take action. The goals in eliminating deaths from malaria are clearly defined, and our work will help turn that into a reality.
Authorities have seized 20,000 pounds of counterfeit medicine and arrested 80 people suspected of illegal trafficking in six East African nations. More than 300 premises were checked or raided in the two-month operation across Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zanzibar.
Counterfeit drugs are more than theft from the people who need medicine most. In fact, substandard drugs can increase drug resistance and counterfeit drugs can lead to death in those who believe they are taking the proper medicines when they are not.
For this reason, ensuring that these substandard and fake drugs are kept out of the market is key to maintaining drug efficiency as well as protecting individuals.
As 2015 draws closer, the Millennium Development Goals are becoming more attainable than ever before. One of the critical pieces of the Millennium Development Goals is the fight against malaria. Success in that fight has produced results across the board. Declining child mortality, decreased burden on health care facilities and increased economic productivity are all results of investing in malaria. The following video presents the myriad of successes that the world has seen from the tremendous efforts against malaria so far. While these statistics represent real lives that are being impacted by the progress in the fight against malaria, it must also be remembered that these results are not irreversible. The global community must push forward and advance these gains in order to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015.
On August 1, 2010, ONE and Malaria No More graduated its first class of Malaria Griots.
One of these Griots was Amanda Duley. Amanda is a post-doctoral fellow and lives in Hamilton, Minnesota.
For her final assignment, Amanda hosted several people at her house and presented a malaria video as well as collected donations towards malaria causes. Before graduating, Amanda has already championed the malaria cause in her community.
With leaders like Amanda, we can build momentum here in the United States for defeating the disease of malaria around the world.
100 young African businessmen and civil leaders from nearly 50 nations, including Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Somalia, Mozambique, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe and Liberia, were urged by President Obama “to help spur economic development and fight corruption, disease, and extremism on the continent,” at a White House event on August 3rd. Many administration officials such as Attorney General Eric Holder, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah also attended the event.
The gathering marked 50 years since 1960, a year that many former African colonies won their independence, and was also part of a series of events held last week that marked 10 years since the African Growth and Opportunity Act was enacted in 2000. The CNN report quoted a State Department spokesperson describing the event, “The young group of White House invitees was meant to reflect the fact that 60 percent of the population of Africa is under age 25.”
Obama addressed the new partnership between Africa and the United States, stating that while the U.S. will work with Africa, the continent’s success will ultimately be in the hands of its own leaders. As the President took questions from the leaders, the discussion covered topics including diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, gender issues, and human rights issues facing Zimbabwe and the Sudan.
Leaders listened closely to the President’s comments on HIV/AIDS, as he emphasized the importance of not only treatment but prevention that will result from greater public health systems and the integration of HIV/AIDS as part of a larger effort to address diseases through the Global Health Initiative. “We’re never going to have enough money to simply treat people who are constantly getting infected.” Obama explains that the Global Health Initiative is attempting to produce a solution sustained by Africans, one that focuses on “strengthening prevention and public health systems,” while reaffirming the increased funding that the U.S. will provide to fight disease, save lives and invest in healthier futures.
“I see Africa as a continent brimming with potential,” said Secretary of State Hilary Clinton in a meeting with the leaders earlier that day. “And that means there’s a lot of work to be done to make sure that those young people are educated, are healthy, are motivated, and given the tools of opportunity.”
Activist Mark Mann wrote a new piece today titled ”Shaming Malaria,” which discusses his own first-hand experience with malaria during his time working in Kenya with the nonprofit group The 1010 Project. Mark describes, “While I was in Kenya, I dealt with a nearly constant fear of getting the disease. This fear was crushed by the fact that I was taking anti-malaria pills. Even so, had I still contracted the disease, I would get sick, take a few malaria pills, and be better in a few days. This cycle is no different for a few of the people living in Kenya that I met. However, the one difference is that most people that live on just one or two dollars a day can’t afford to spend their whole days’ wage on a pill. They need it for things like food, fuel, and shelter. This is a travesty.”
Mark goes on to comment, “Why isn’t every single American called to give to great organizations like Malaria No More?” pointing out that foregoing “a few Red Box rentals” and donating this money instead would actually save a life. He then lists a number of things that each individual person can do to advance the fight against malaria:
Give your time and write a blog post about the fight against malaria
Volunteer to help a non-profit organization advocating for malaria eradication in your home town
Give locally (in Mark’s hometown) to the Ten Thousand Nets Campaign by texting DENVER to 85944 in order to add $10 towards malaria eradication efforts to your cell phone bill
Mark ended his blog by stating, “To avoid being hypocritical, I am going to use my own call to action to become a $30 monthly supporter of Malaria No More.“
Despite bed net programs, it is estimated that Uganda has experienced a colossal increase in malaria; in 2000 there were 3.5 million malaria cases compared to 2008, when there were around 11 million cases. There are many impoverished families that are trapped by the constant threat of malaria, which is endemic in 95% of Uganda. These families cannot afford treatment or basic health care. In addition, there is a constant drug shortage at government health centers, exacerbating the problem. This constant threat of malaria and inadequate health services is a threat both to humanity and to the stability of Uganda.
However, the increase of the number of malaria cases hasn’t been determined. Many researchers are perplexed by this outcome, especially since Amref, an NGO, has entered the scene to alleviate the horrors of malaria. The NGO has distributed 1,625 long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) to high risk groups in the last six months: 915 to children under the age of five, 650 to pregnant mothers and 60 to people living with HIV/Aids. Furthermore, Amref is supporting village health teams to increase knowledge of symptoms and how to use the nets correctly. Thus, people predicted that malaria would instead decrease, so researchers cannot, therefore, identify the cause for this increase in malaria. It could either be that people are not using the nets correctly and consistently or that more people are now being referred to health centers and diagnosed and figures are being more accurately recorded.
Britain’s tabloids reported that Cole, a judge along with Simon Cowell on the British reality talent show “The X Factor,” collapsed during a photoshoot for her album on Saturday.
A spokesperson for Cole stated that she had contracted malaria while on safari in Tanzania.
Malaria No More UK’s Sarah Kline was interviewed on the subject, to hear her comments, click here.
Bio-Solutions Corp. has decided to grant a 1 for 5 one time stock dividend – meaning that for every five shares an investor holds, one share will be granted by the company – as a means of thanking investors for their financial support in the company’s development of its Flagship product GREENTEX (TM), an organic insecticide. The company believes GREENTEX neutralizes and eradicates up to 98% of mosquito larvae within a 24 hour period. The insecticide is available in both solid and liquid form.
Bio-Solutions Corp. has been working on the development of GREENTEX, as well as a secondary product to boost poultry growth and productivity, with various African governmental bodies and is currently in negotiations in Congo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. The organization hopes to reach agreements soon in these countries and hopefully begin to incorporate this as part of wider malaria control intervention programs.
Recent data shows that the leading cause of death for children in Africa is malaria. However, religious leaders can have a great impact to change these following statistics: Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from this wide spread disease. In the past year, over 700,000 children died from malaria. Furthermore, every year, around 30 million women in the global community who live in malaria-endemic regions become pregnant. These women and their babies face a constant threat to their lives from malaria. More specifically, there occur around 200,000 newborn deaths each year which are attributed to malaria in pregnancy.
Religious leaders can lead the fight against malaria at the community level. For one, they are venerated and trusted local leaders in their communities. They ultimately have a huge influence on the lives of their people and thus can use their influence to help save the lives of people in their communities.
Therefore, the following guides were written to assist Muslim and Christian religious leaders comprehend the epic dangers of malaria, and to outline how they can help in the fight against it and thereby protect the lives of people under their care. These guides encompass recommended methods on how to protect and treat the people in the community that are most vulnerable to malaria. These helpful suggestions are compiled in a sermon format that encloses faith-based values and scriptures to educate and urge people of faith to combat this deadly disease.
