Malaria Prevention Saves Lives

Every two minutes a child dies from malaria. According to UNICEF, malaria there are 2,500 deaths each day, these are mostly children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa. Zambia has a high prevalence of malaria.

The Butterfly Tree has provided tens of thousands of mosquito nets in rural areas throughout the Kazungula District. In 2017 a project, pioneered by the charity called ‘mosquito nets for schools’, was launched after learning that school children were contracting malaria due to lack of protection. Priority is usually given to pregnant women and children under the age of five.

To date the charity has donated mosquito nets to 13 schools in the Kazungula District, the most recent being Moomba in a reemote area, some km from our base near Livingstone, Siamasimbi, Ndele and Chuunga Schools.

In 2015, The Butterfly Tree initiated a safe innovation to protect people from malaria, which is highly effective in reducing the number of cases. A safe insecticidal coating is painted on the inside of dwellings, when a mosquito lands on a wall, it will pierce the surface, ingest the chemical and will fly off die. In addition, larvicide granules are dispersed in ponds and streams to prevent larva from developing into mosquitos. Both interventions are safe to humans, animals and fish. This has proved to be highly effective in reducing cases of malaria in areas of distribution in Mukuni, Nyawa and Moomba Chiefdoms.

The rainy season has started in Zambia and this is the time when malaria is most prevalent. The festive season we are appealing for donations to buy more mosquito nets for school children. I would like to thank everyone who has made a donation and wish all our supporters a very Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year.

A mosquito costs just £6 or $9 and could save a child's life.