(A mosquito’s perspective)
I watch that child in the field, it’s hot and he swats at me, making my landing difficult–but eventually, I’ll get him. Every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria. With one bite I can kill. You might doubt my ability to take a life of someone so much larger than myself, but the truth is, in a single year, we mosquitoes can kill 655,000 children with a single bite. Those numbers make you feel helpless don’t they? After all, what difference can you make?
***
Manirakiza lives in Rwanda. He lives in a small hut with no running water and no screens on the windows. In fact, I’m not sure he has windows, or a window for that matter. He helps his parents in the fields gathering beans and maize. His last letter told us it was the rainy season there, and so crops were good, they were thankful. But with the rain comes both blessings and trouble. I say trouble, because mosquitos breed in water, and so the risk of mosquito borne illness, like malaria, is the dark underbelly of a season that brings both life, and the threat of death.
Today is World Malaria Day.
I’m joining Compassion International in their efforts to help raise awareness and provide nets to children in need. One net costs $10. That’s it. The truth is, you CAN help. You can make a difference. Join me in providing assistance to children in at-risk areas around the globe.
Save a life, be a safety net and provide one for a child at risk.
