July 2010
Help fight Malaria
The purpose of Mission Outreach at Ascension is to "Reach Out to others in need". So far this year, our mission offerings have addressed needs of Disaster Relief (New Orleans mission trip), Hunger (ELCA and Food Pantry), Justice (Hope Center), and Housing (Habitat for Humanity). In July, our mission offerings will be going to help meet Health needs through the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI).
Why malaria? What does malaria have to do with Ascension? Malaria is a healthcare concern in two of our Partnership Ministries - the Meru Diocese in Tanzania, the Salvadoran Lutheran Church in El Salvador - and in Honduras, visited 6 times by our "Hugs for Honduras" missionaries. Mission travelers to these countries usually have to take malaria preventative medications and, in Tanzania, sleep under bed nets.
Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite from mosquitoes. It causes flu-like symptoms - high fevers and chills - and if left untreated is fatal. In Tanzania alone, over 11.5 million people contract malaria each year, and over 38,000 people die. Yet, with proper prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, malaria deaths are preventable.
To help combat malaria in Tanzania, the LMI is -
• Training pastors and other volunteers to teach others about how to protect themselves from malaria, how to recognize the symptoms of the disease, and where to go for treatment. Pastor Anna of the Northern Diocese says, "When the pastor speaks, the people will listen."
• Improving medical supply management to assure adequate stocks of anti-malarial medicine.
One of the most cost-effective and simple approaches to combat malaria is the use of insecticide-treated bed nets, which can reduce malaria transmissions (mosquito bites) as much as 90%. Most mosquito bites occur at night, and bed nets create an effective protective barrier against mosquitoes. A bed net costs as little as $10, can protect a family of four, and lasts for up to five years! Think about where we use nets in some of our favorite sports or activities: volleyball, tennis, basketball, soccer, hockey, fishing. These nets bring us enjoyment. But in malaria-affected areas, nets are life-saving!
Preventing malaria is a "big deal" not only because it takes lives, but because it also makes the conditions of poverty worse. When people get malaria, it keeps kids out of school and keeps adults from working while they recover or care for sick children. The resulting or increasing poverty keeps people from getting the prevention and treatment they need to save their lives. Even a $10 bed net is out of reach for many of the world's poor!
So Ascension's mission offerings for July will go for "nothing but nets" to help continue the battle against malaria.