Malaria Prevention Day 2013

Power of Love Foundation’s (POL) Project Mosquito Nets program provides long lasting insecticide treated bed nets to women and children vulnerable to malaria in Zambia. We would like to say a big “thank you” to you for supporting this program. With your support, we were able to provide 1000 insecticide treated nets to women and children vulnerable to malaria in Zambia in September 2013.

Profile of Beneficiaries

Nets were provided to 1000 families in the Matero township in Lusaka, Zambia. The Matero Township is densely populated and most of areas are waterlogged and have sewer ponds. Due to the high prevalence of malaria in this area, we have been providing nets since 2009. The beneficiaries of the nets were children and families in Power of Love’s pediatric HIV care program, women vulnerable to malaria in Power of Love’s Microfinance program, and vulnerable children who attend the Safe Park program and members of the community who are vulnerable to malaria. In order to reach the intended beneficiaries we involved several community organizations such as Churches, and government health clinics, to identify and distribute nets through their representatives.

A list of the organizations/beneficiaries with the number of nets provided is given below:

Kapiri-Mposhi (a rural area in Zambia with a high incidence of malaria): 300
Children and families in our pediatric HIV care program: 350
Women in our micro loans program: 80
Families in the community of Matero (identified via Safe Park program): 65
Health Clinics (including Government Clinics): 85
Local Churches: 75
Community Organizations (e.g. Matero Police, Kwasha Mukwenu): 45

Total: 1000

Most of the beneficiaries were children who are HIV positive, children under the age of five years, pregnant moms, women who are breast feeding, and HIV positive children, and adults who are infected with TB. These sections of the population are most vulnerable to malaria as their immune system is compromised due to their HIV positive status, and because co-infection rates between malaria, HIV and TB are very high.

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Distribution Activities

A few children played traditional Zambian games while waiting for the distribution activities to begin. Several local and Church leaders participated in the distribution activities. The distribution activities commenced with singing and dancing by the women and children present. This was followed by short plays about the benefits of using nets by teenage children. The area councilor of Lusaka thanked the Matero Care Centre for organizing the event and the Power of Love Foundation and the Granny Connection for their support for the program. He said that he hoped that the provision of nets continues and thanked donors for supplementing the Goverments effort in the fight against malaria.

A team from the Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation taped the event for inclusion in the national news. A nurse from one of the local clinics provided a demonstration on the proper use and maintenance of nets. She emphasized that using a mosquito net every night is the best way to prevent malaria. She encouraged the participants to re-treat the nets every few months, especially when the government clinics provide this retreatment kits free of cost. Finally, the Nurse underscored the need of keeping the nets clean and how to store them to prevent damage when not in use.

Impact of the Distribution

Provision of bed nets and education on malaria prevention goes a long way in eradicating the disease from the community. As a result of the distribution of nets and education on proper use, we expect to see a marked reduction in the incidence of malaria and an increase in school attendance due to improved health of the children. A post-distribution study will be conducted to assess the impact of the nets on the incidence of malaria as well as to determine if the nets are maintained (treated with insecticide) and used optimally.

Need for Nets

Follow-up interviews with nets recipients indicates that the nets distributed over the last 2-3 years are in good condition and are being used for malaria prevention by the beneficiary households. However, more nets are needed as there are several hundred households who cannot afford to purchase a net and are without bed nets in Zambia.

Request for Funds

At this time we are raising funds to provide 1000 long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN’s) in the Spring of 2014 and an additional 1000 nets in Fall 2014. Please donate generously as your donation will go a long way in preventing malaria and keeping the children healthy and in school.

Topic: Project Mosquito Net

Category of this Blog Post

Women & Children's Health

Post Type

Program Updates