Malaria bites: Red Cross club sells bed nets for Africa

Members of the Canadian Red Cross STU/UNB Club set up booth in St. Thomas University's James Dunn Hall for the past week and have received plenty of donations.

Tis the season of giving. So this Christmas season, the STU/UNB Canadian Red Cross Club is encouraging people to donate to the Malaria Christmas Card Campaign.

The campaign focuses on raising money for bed nets for those threatened by malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

 The Canadian Red Cross wants both the university communities and Fredericton residents to help save lives by purchasing bed nets this Christmas. Each net costs $7.

Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted at night by mosquitoes. It  is the leading cause of death for children under five in Africa.  Sleeping under a mosquito net can prevent the disease.

Kelsey Boone, president of the STU/UNB Canadian Red Cross Club, said the Christmas Card Campaign started in early November.

“It is a lot of work but I want to be doing it,” said Boone. “We have a great group of people that are dedicated to helping out which makes it a lot easier.”

For Boone, this campaign is especially important. This past summer she spent three months in Ghana, Africa, living in a rural village and teaching in a school. Within three weeks of being there, she got malaria.

“I also witnessed a lot of people while I was there suffering with malaria and knew a few people that had died from it,” said Boone. “When I came back to school in September I wanted to do something. I wanted to help in some way with the people that are affected with Malaria.”

Although the Canadian Red Cross has been active in the fight against malaria since 2003, the Malaria Bites program is a new campaign. The program gives Canadians the opportunity to help the Canadian Red Cross send bed nets to sub-SaharanAfrica.

Kelly Delorey, treasurer of the STU/UNB Canadian Red Cross Club said the actual bed nets cost $5 and the added $2 goes to shipping them. Along with the bed net, immunizations are available.

“Children under five get immunization with (the bed nets),” said Delorey. “And as a thank you, you get a Christmas card and a little insert that says every year 30,000 people die of malaria and every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria.”

St. Thomas University and University of New Brunswick members of the club have set up booths in Regent Mall, the Boyce Farmers’ Market, a residence change drive and St. Thomas University’s James Dunn Hall.

Kelly Delorey said the STU/UNB Canadian Red Cross Club has had good response from the general public.

“The campaign has been going great so far,” said Boone. “The STU campus campaign has definitely been our most successful thus far though.”

The treasurer said they actually ran out of cards at James Dunn at one point.

“We had the inserts so we could still sell them and we would send the cards later kind of thing,” said Delorey. “It’s been really good.”

Delorey said the STU/UNB Canadian Red Cross Club has raised more than $1, 800 so far.

“I am really impressed and pleased with the support the students and faculty of the school have shown,” said Boone. “Malaria kills more people in Africa during a year than AIDS or any other disease. An individual can die within 24 hours of being bitten by an infected mosquito. It is a very serious disease and most people do not realize how serious it is.”

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Posted by Jackie Allan on Nov 21, 2009. Filed under Features, This Week's Edition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.