HopeFully Protected
In early February 2010, Spark Ventures and Hope Ministries, with funding from The John and Susan Dewan Foundation, will implement a malaria prevention project called HopeFully Protected. Through this effort we will be distributing treated mosquito nets to every child that attends Hope Community School. Our hope and goal is that these nets will significantly reduce the number of malaria cases among students at the school as well as members of their family. Over 300 nets will be given out to children and their caregivers in the village of Twapia, along with training on how to use the nets and prevent malaria.
In 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 14,000 malaria related deaths and over 3.5 million cases of malaria in Zambia alone. It is estimated that 50% of Zambians do not sleep under any sort of net at all and in some of the poorer communities, such as Twapia, that number can be as high as 80%! Treated mosquito nets, such as the ones being provided by the HopeFully Protected Project, have been shown to reduce the transmission of malaria up to 90%, enabling children to remain healthy and able to continue their pursuit of an education and better future. The nets being provided are considered “King Size” and can have as many as 5 children safely under one net which means the 300 nets being disbursed may actually be helping protect 1,000 or more children!
