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.

My family’s ten years in Tanzania provided many adventures and joys, but almost no one can live in East Africa that long and avoid contracting malaria.  It was a part of our normal life in Tanzania, and we accepted it as we did colds and the flu. We averaged about three rounds of malaria each year. The very worst was watching our children Matthew, Will and Joanna deal with the characteristic fever, vomiting, diarrhea, aching joints, and headaches.  Matthew was only 5 years old when he was first hit with malaria. Fortunately, he recovered, but some of his friends were not as lucky.

Now in college, Matthew spent a semester “back home” in Tanzania, and once again contracted malaria. But this time, much quicker testing was available, and he received a new medication that is in wide use.

Zanzibar, our favorite site for vacations, once was a place where we expected to pick up malaria. During my last visit there, I was astonished when a taxi driver explained that there are now very few cases on that island, thanks to a concerted use of nets, spraying, and quick treatment.

Malaria is not yet defeated, and our family, along with the rest of the world, looks forward to the day when malaria is no more. In the mean time, I am delighted to report that our family is now healthy and strong.

Kristen Swanson teaches in the Pennridge Middle Schools in Bucks County, PA, and volunteers with development projects in Rwanda and Tanzania.

Amanda Adami is a representative from the national student-led nonprofit organization Millennium Campus Network. The group’s goal is to spread awareness about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which includes the U.S. commitment to the fight against malaria. Amanda’s blogs about the Day of Action to rally people behind the goal.

In September of 2000, leaders of the 191 United Nations member countries met in New York City and formulated a
plan to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Unanimously, these leaders agreed upon eight comprehensive and attainable goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). If fulfilled, the MDGs will provide the poorest 17% of the world, who live on less than a dollar a day, with the opportunity to attend primary school, access to clean water, better child and maternal healthcare, and a sustainable future.

Reversing the incidence of malaria has moved into the forefront of policy maker’s agendas, as the 6^th Millennium Development Goal is to Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases. As nearly half of the world’s population is susceptible to contracting malaria, it is vital we ensure this goal stays a priority and receives proper attention at the upcoming UN summit.

It is not only tragic, but also outright unjust that 1 in every 5 African children dies from malaria each year. How are these children expected to overcome the hardships of poverty, such as lack of education or access to clean water, if they are ravaged by disease?

In order to tackle global poverty, we must take a holistic approach, and understand that each goal is deeply linked with all of the others. We must unite our voices and push our leaders to fulfill the promises they have already made to Goal #6, ensuring the success of the remaining seven. We cannot afford to let this opportunity for real policy reform to pass unnoticed.

We know the goals are achievable. The most pressing question that remains is whether or not we as Americans will take small steps within our own means, to stand up and do something to end poverty and end malaria deaths in our time. Will you?

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

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.

Thursday, April 8th Sarah Kline and Roz Hunt from MNM UK did a sponsored sky dive along with supporters and celebrities from the reality show “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!” Sarah tells us more here…

Last winter the TV show “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!” made Malaria No More UK the recipient charity for funds raised from ‘phone voting on the show. The show generated huge publicity for the charity and helped publicise the issue of tackling malaria to a wide cross-section of the British public when they tuned in or logged on to hear the latest on the celebrities as they survived life in the jungle. Those who starred in the show included Hollywood legend George Hamilton and model and singer Samantha Fox.

Sam was so inspired by the work of the charity she recruited stars from the show to sky dive to raise more funds this Spring.

Yesterday Roz and I joined “I’m a Celebrity…” stars Sam Fox, snooker star Jimmy White, actor Stuart Manning and TV presenter Kim Woodburn. I was in the same plane as Sam and my friend Alexander who also dressed up as a giant mosquito for publicity photos throughout the day. It was amazing – so much fun and although a bit nerve wracking the actual dive itself was brilliant. We had clear blue skies and a view for 50 miles across the British countryside.

Sam, Stuart and Jimmy took to the skies and jumped from 13,000 feet to raise funds for a project in Ghana where malaria is the number one cause of illness and responsible for one-third of all deaths in children under five. We were joined by 50 other daredevil divers from a variety of organisations who support Malaria No More UK including Jazz FM, News International, Faiths Act Fellows, Premier Radio and CHI. So we had everyone jumping from radio DJs to advertising executives. And we had friends, families and the family pets to help encourage the jumpers.

It was the first ever dive for most people including the celebrities with Stuart Manning returning from LA to take on additional training for a solo dive!

The Dive coincided with the announcement that funds raised by the British public for Malaria No More UK during I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! are to be invested in Ghana to help protect up to two million people from catching malaria.

Aseer Ahmad is a member of the Interfaith Youth Action Group, a DC-based youth group that draws together exceptional high school students from diverse faith traditions to advance the Millennium Development Goals and end deaths due to malaria through common, interfaith action. When asked to raise $100 for Malaria No More, Aseer accepted the challenge and organized a fundraiser at his mosque. Far exceeding the initial goal, he raised over $800 for Malaria No More! Here are some of his reflections on the event:

During our first Interfaith Youth Action Group meeting, we went straight to the project we desired to accomplish – to each raise $100 for Malaria No More. This would provide 10 families with a bed net that would stop mosquitoes from biting the person sleeping underneath the net. At first this project seemed a little impossible to me!

I introduced the project to Dar al-Noor’s Youth Group Coordinator, Brother Zahid Khan and my fellow youth. We discussed it together and made a goal to raise $100. Already that first night, we raised over $60 through generous donations.

Then came Friday, the day for our weekly congregational prayer called Jumah Prayer. We announced our project and invited members of the mosque to join the global fight against malaria. We informed them about the horrible effects malaria has on our fellow brothers and sisters around the world like, for example, causing more than a million deaths each year. After that, we put a collection box in the lobby to accept the generous donations by our friends in the Masjid (mosque).

Thus came the moment to count all of our raisings. It was obvious that we excelled our goal at about $700. Throughout the month, we raised over $800 which will provide bed nets for 80 families who suffer from the ravaging disease. We hope to continue this project for the good of our brothers and sisters around the world.

I turned 26 on March 3, 2010. This year, my birthday was more special than usual – I helped save lives!

Through my involvement with ONE I have learned about some staggering facts: Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies of malaria – a preventable, treatable disease. In a 21st century world, this to me is unacceptable. That is why, this year, I donated my birthday to charity and I chose to raise awareness and money for Malaria No More.

My message was simple - Every little bit helps, and just $10 saves a life. I utilized social media as a primary tool to promote my birthday wish and get the needed donations to hit my $500 fundraising goal. I used Twitter and Facebook to provide updates and encouragement, and soon, thanks to my friends’ admirable generosity, we reached the goal!