To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe . . ..
I like musical theater. Sue me. When I hear Richard Kiley in The Man of La Mancha singing "The Impossible Dream," when I think of Don Quixote tilting at windmills, The Romantic in me heaves a big, girlish sigh.
The Accountant resides alongside The Romantic in me. The Accountant doesn't like impossible dreams. The Accountant insists that in a world of limited resources, we should concentrate on the battles we can win.
And I think of malaria.
The World Health Organization, in its 2008 World Malaria Report, estimates that every 42 seconds, a child under the age of five dies of malaria. Every year, nearly 900,000 people, primarily infants, young children, and pregnant women, die of a disease that is both preventable and curable. The numbers are obscene.
Those on the front lines of the battle against malaria are not tilting at windmills. Some nations have succeeded in eliminating the threat of malaria. With vigilance, malaria is a beatable foe. Join in the quest.
Posts
6 comments:
Nine hundred thousand people dying annually of a curable disease is obscene. I'm looking forward to reading more information!
Good beginning. Keep blogging.
Malaria? A disease that we think is an old disease, yet people are still contracting it. Thanks for re-enlightening us.
I recently read about this in my social problems textbook, and was equally appalled by the world's apathy toward a seemingly simple solution. It appears that this boils down to a class, or worse, race issue, and that is inexcusable. What can we do?
Kristi, Gwyn, and Loretta,
Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I plan to keep posting regularly, so please stop by often or subscribe to the feed. Awareness is key.
Bigwagongo,
It is one of those simple solutions that isn't so easy. I am going to write a whole entry, maybe several, over the next couple of weeks on the obstacles.
What can you do now? You can contribute to a charity that provides bed nets. Against Malaria (see sidebar) will get one where it needs to go for every $5.00 donation. Two people can sleep under one net. Not a bad investment-- help save two lives for less than the price of a value meal.
You can be aware of the problem and share this awareness with others. We have to pick and choose where our donations go . . . as individuals and as nations. Knowledge will help you in that decision.
I was researching recently and read that malaria, the fourth leading cause of death for young children worldwide, kills more children each year than measles and HIV/AIDS combined. Measles is the fifth largest killer of children; HIV/AIDS is sixth.
MEASLES? Why on earth is anyone still dying of measles in the 21st Century? But they do -- hundreds of thousands of children each year. We can't help with problems unless we are aware of them. That's my goal here -- to make people aware. Send the link to your friends, your professors -- spread the word.
Post a Comment