As you may have read on Buzzwords back in March, Ara Parikh and students at Deerfield Beach High School hosted dodge ball tournaments to bounce malaria. So far, $4000 has been raised for charities, including MNN. And, as if that news wasn’t good enough, we got to spend a week with Ara. Here’s what she had to say about her stay:

Dodge Malaria was a great success, and when I called to thank the supportive MNM staff, they asked if I’d be interested in visiting their New York office. I jumped at the chance!

Last month I spent a week shadowing Marisa Kleinman, probably the nicest person you’ll ever meet! I was able to interact with the entire Marketing and Communications team, who filled me in on their latest projects and then put me to work on the Stayin’ Alive campaign, which is all about students taking action by dedicating a dance or other event to the fight against malaria.

While the office is constantly a buzz (pun intended!) with hard work, there’s always a degree of fun. On Fridays, the team comes together for Bagels and Brainstorming, where they discuss their craziest ideas over breakfast.

My week at MNM was illuminating. I learned about the inner workings of a nonprofit organization and got great suggestions for future Dodge Malaria events. But, most importantly, the week reinforced my passion to do all that I can to help fight malaria.

This past weekend, I headed to Greenwood, Indiana to represent MNM at the 74^th annual National Association of Student Councils (NASC) Conference at Center Grove High School. The conference brought together thousands of middle and high school student leaders and administrators from across the country to attend leadership workshops, foster networking relationships, and to celebrate their achievements within local schools and communities.

The conference gave me the opportunity to introduce students to the Stayin’ Alive program and explain how they can join in the fight against malaria while having fun!

Dressed in attire full of state-pride, students and administrators rushed to the Stayin’ Alive booth to learn more about the cause (and to take pictures with our friendly mosquito, as 7^th grader Andrew Vidal graciously accepted the challenge of adorning the infamous costume). The event was a great success: by the end of the day I had collected close to 200 sign-ups from students interested in hosting their own Stayin’ Alive event.

With the new school year just around the corner, Stayin’ Alive offers a unique opportunity for students to raise awareness and funds for the fight against malaria. Just $10 provides a life-saving mosquito net that protects two children from being infected with this deadly disease.

You may not be old enough to drive or vote, but you have the power to save lives!

Click here to learn more about hosting your own Stayin’ Alive event.

Things were really BUZZING in Georgia around the Marietta Square on Sunday, April 25 as over 500 people joined Marietta First Baptist Church, Grammy award winning band Third Day, ONE, Sustenance Group, Malaria No More, and Nothing But Nets at the first annual World Malaria Day event to raise awareness and money. 

More than 60 volunteers began streaming in to set up for the day.  Paul Howell, internationally recognized mosquito expert for the Malaria Research and Reference Reagent Resource Center (MR4) at the Centers for Disease Control, put together a fascinating look at mosquitoes and the use of bed nets in the developing world.  Nets were hung over air mattresses as a “village at night” was created for people to experience, and the new Bobby Bailey film, “When the Night Comes,” looped in the background.  Paul Howell brought in more than 500 contained mosquitoes to demonstrate how many infectious bites a child can receive in one year, and also to show people how the mosquitoes react to the chemicals when they come in contact with treated nets.

The children’s area featured a rock climbing wall, hula hoops and the opportunity to learn more about malaria and its devastating effects through fun games. Former Atlanta Hawks and Georgia Tech basketball standout, Ivano “Newby” Newbill, led a basketball contest and a free throw contest, while ONE members Audrey Ruark and Akiliu Giorges were on hand to sign up new ONE members.  Audrey and Akiliu also had the opportunity to share with people the amazing work being done by Malaria No More and Nothing But Nets! 

At last count, we successfully raised almost $9,000 including a matching gift from the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. That’s at least 900 nets – nets that will save lives!  AND donations are still coming in!

Each year in my classroom I try to instill the power of making a difference, even as 1st and 2nd grade students. I generally read the “Story of a Starfish” and discuss how the little child made a difference by throwing one of many starfish back into the sea. My students decided they too wanted to make a difference. I then read the children’s book, “Nets are Nice” published by Scholastic. This launched our project “Pennies With a Purpose.” After 3 months we raised 10,000 pennies for 10 Bed Nets. The children were overjoyed with this project! They truly learned the meaning of being compassionate and making a difference.

Kathy Hitchner is a Grade 2 teacher at Shoreline Schools

Three students will win a trip to Africa through the World Briefing contest sponsored by MNM and Novartis. The contest is open to graduate students in the US, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Philippines and Venezuela.

It’s easy to enter! All you need is a 500-word blog post focused on malaria and how your generation can make progress in the fight against this deadly disease, and a 140-character sentence (the short length of a Twitter update!) on why you should win. Just be sure to submit your application to Enter@MalariaContest.com by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, May 31st, to be considered to win a trip to Zambia.

Three winners will be announced the week of June 28th and will travel to Zambia in October 2010. In Zambia, you’ll learn about current efforts underway to control malaria, travel to local clinics as well as meet with physicians, healthcare workers, patients, and leaders from the Novartis and MNM. You’ll also get to live blog and post updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Start your application here. Good luck!

Our friends at GOOD Magazine and Vestergaard-Frandsen have compiled everything you need to know about the malaria outbreak a few weeks ago in West Canton, California. Check out the footage here:

Sunday, April 25 is World Malaria Day. This day presents to pastors around the world an opportunity to speak about how malaria is ravaging our world.

Malaria is the leading cause of death in children in under the age of 5 in Africa. Just yesterday my daughter blew out some birthday candles in celebration of her fifth birthday. This is a privilege that parents are robbed of every day because their child’s life is cut short by malaria.

Our faith community and several other communities of faith throughout Denver are coming together to put our efforts toward the fight against malaria, and it all begins on April 25. Together, we have formed the Ten Thousand Nets Campaign, which is Denver’s campaign to fight malaria. We invite you to join with us.

What could happen if communities of faith came together around this? I suspect that many more kids would have a chance to blow out some birthday candles.

Michael Hidalgo is the Lead Pastor of Denver Community Church in Denver, CO.

In the lead up to World Malaria Day, Malaria No More is joining with partners from the United Against Malaria campaign and encouraging the public to send a strong message to World Leaders asking them to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015.

Join Malaria No More by adding your name to the millions of people worldwide who refuse to accept a single death from malaria. On April 20, United Against Malaria will deliver a strong message to world leaders asking them to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015.  We need your help!

Sign the petition here to pledge your support!

United Against Malaria is a partnership of football teams and heroes, celebrities, health and advocacy organizations, governments, corporations, and people like you who have united ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to win the fight against malaria. By leveraging football/soccer, UAM aims to raise global awareness and renew worldwide commitment to ending malaria, as well as increase the use of prevention tools and malaria treatment in Africa.

Jason Castro has joined the fight against malaria as our inaugural “Stayin’ Alive” Ambassador. Jason was introduced to us while still an American Idol finalist through the Idol Gives Back charity program, and was shocked to learn that thousands of kids die every day from a disease that’s completely preventable and treatable.

What Jason has to say about it: I’m excited to join Malaria No More’s efforts and show our students how they can help. I was personally surprised to learn that malaria continues to be an epidemic in parts of the world, so I’m thrilled to do whatever I can to raise awareness of the continuing fight against this disease.

Jason is currently manning an MNM information booth with our very own Lacey Stone at the Texas Association of Student Councils Convention, where he’ll be performing a song from his debut album, JASON CASTRO, this afternoon. Stay tuned for updates.

Read the press release announcing the partnership here.

How can you use your own hobbies to support the fight against malaria? Just ask Oceana Rain Fields.

When the Pacific High School senior told her aunt that she wanted to be an artist, her aunt offered an unusual response: “That sounds selfish,” she said. “How are you helping other people making art?”

These words inspired Fields when she entered the Vision 2010 high school art competition at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon. The idea for her pastel and charcoal painting came from a photograph she had seen in National Geographic, which showed a young African boy suffering from malaria on a hospital bed. Fields said of the photograph: “It just blew me away. I think the picture he took was 50 times better than the piece that I did.”

Her own criticisms aside, the painting, entitled “Malaria,” won first in show. When Fields accepted her award, she used the opportunity to raise awareness about malaria and spoke about different organizations that are leading the fight against the disease. “[Malaria] is something more or less preventable. A mosquito net costs practically nothing.” It costs only $10 to provide a mosquito net to protect two children from malaria in Africa. You can make a donation here.

The painting will remain on display at the Coos Art Museum until April 10^th.

Have a hobby? Put it to good use!

Marisa is the new Communications Intern – a.k.a. Super Intern since she divides her interning time between MNM and Sesame Workshop.