No one should die of malaria today

by Global Diversity Foundation
Play Video
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today
No one should die of malaria today

Project Report | Apr 11, 2019
Despite challenges, all antimalarial mosquito nets have been delivered!

By Marina Aman Sham, Susannah McCandless | Global Diversity Foundation team members

Joti community in remote Kayama receive the nets
Joti community in remote Kayama receive the nets

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away” appeared as I opened my laptop earlier today. Yes, I admit to a subscription to a daily inspirational quote! This morning’s quote was fitting, as I came to my desk to write about the progress of delivery of mosquito nets impregnated with insecticide to remote indigenous Venezuelan communities in Iguana, Kayama and Betania. As I thought back on the Skype conversation I had with Egleé late last week, I reflected on the elaborate manoeuvres Egleé performed to deliver the life-saving nets, her determination born of a a genuine zeal to help friends who have become like family.

The journey was complex, and at times, nerve-wracking. Following an arduous journey as cargo from Vietnam (by ship, train and plane!), the nets landed in Caracas, Venezuela early in 2019. In February, Egleé arrived to take inventory of all the donated items—including medical supplies, and 3,000 mosquito nets, 60 bundles in total. She divided them up for delivery to the health centres of each community. As she began moving the nets, she was once again overwhelmed by support for the project, as individuals stepped up and enabled local transfers, both financially and logistically, and offered administrative assistance that granted her, and the supplies, safe passage to their destinations.

It was (and still is) a time of chaos in Venezuela. As Eglee says, “it was a miracle that the nets were delivered”. Five trips were made in total, each marked with its own set of challenges. Ground transport services suspended all trips due to protests in cities throughout Venezuela, and when they finally proceeded, the truck destined for Betania was stopped and inspected 61 times by members of the military. Flight bans and last-minute prohibitions by the Venezuelan government meant alternative arrangements had to be made, including forcing planes already airborne to detour, incurring additional, costly delays. During her first journey to Iguana, the military questioned Eglee’s presence, causing her to abandon the trip. The flight continued with the medicine and nets on board, while a military personnel took her seat in the plane.

Despite all these challenges, they pushed on, and supplies reached Jotï, Eñepa and Piaroa communities from Iguana, Kayama and Betania, who are now more protected against malaria. From her home in the U.S., Egleé shares some photos from her trip and extends her thanks, stressing on the amazing feeling of not being alone throughout her journey. “So many people were backing this initiative,” she says. “It gave me the inspiration and the will to go on. It was not an easy task and was loaded with surreal complexities...but it was successfully accomplished thanks to you.”

Egleé and her international team are now excited about the second phase of their project, which focuses on carrying out research with these same three communities to understand the drivers of the increase in the incidence of malaria, allowing for implementation of targeted, context-specific strategies to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality. Please click here for more information on the “Alleviating malaria in Venezuela” project.

Bird's-eye view of Iguana in the Venezuelan Amazon
Bird's-eye view of Iguana in the Venezuelan Amazon
Checking out the treated nets
Checking out the treated nets
Eglee hands over nets to Piaroa community members
Eglee hands over nets to Piaroa community members
A box of medical supplies sent to Betania
A box of medical supplies sent to Betania
Documentation was carried out during distributions
Documentation was carried out during distributions

Links:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Global Diversity Foundation

Location: Bristol, VT - USA
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Project Leader:
Susannah McCandless
GDF International Program Director
Bristol , VT United States
$13,100 raised of $15,000 goal
 
156 donations
$1,900 to go
Donate Now

Help raise money!

Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.

Start a Fundraiser

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.