mosquito nets

Rainy season has officially hit Liberia. The rains bring cooler temperatures that are enjoyed by all. They also bring days and days with no sun and turn football fields into lakes. With all that water around, the mosquito population also increases exponentially. More mosquitoes increase the risk and incidence of malaria.

Malaria is a parasitic infection that is spread between people by a certain type of mosquito. Symptoms can range from vague to severe but usually include a fever, severe body aches and a headache.

Sitting in the office in Texas yesterday, I had a surprise visitor -- David from Fairfield Baptist Church in Cypress, TX. On his way to Tennessee to ship off almost a thousand pairs of shoes to Liberia, he stopped to drop off photos of the children at Fairfield Baptist Orphanage putting up their 57 new mosquito nets, courtesy of ORR and Universal Outreach.

Thanks, Fairfield!

Can you believe that over 2,000 children die everyday around the world from mosquito-borne malaria? In Liberia last year, 21,000 children under the age of five died from malaria. However, Liberians just believe that malaria is normal part of life.
We spend alot of time talking with the directors and children about malaria. Malaria education, prevention and treatment are big focus areas at the beginning of rainy season. This rainy season, we want to make sure that there is a treated mosquito net on every bed in every home.