Malaria & Other Assorted Sicknesses

“I wonder if this is what it feels like to have malaria?” 

That’s what I was wondering last night at about 2am as my body ached.  10 minutes on my back, then 10 minutes on my side, then my front, then my other side…start the process again.

There’s no question I’m quite wimpy…and I’m sure dealing with malaria is much worse that what I was experiencing (thankfully, by the end of the next evening I was feeling much better).   But it got me thinking about all of the people around me who are suffering from malaria….it is literally everywhere you look at this time of year in Uganda.  But Uganda is not unique.

There are a reported 500 million cases of malaria each year resulting in 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths….many of these are children.  But death is just one negative aspect to this disease.  Parents & grandparents with malaria can’t work to provide for their family; students with malaria can’t study.

But it doesn’t have to be this way…there are medicines available that, when administered on a timely basis, can stop the progression of the disease.  Unfortunately, most of the people suffering from malaria are also the poorest of the poor and therefore cannot afford the medicine.

That’s where people like you and I come in.  It’s amazing how small of a donation (from our perspective) can actually change—if not save—another person’s life.

Since being here in Mpigi we’ve watched 6 of our kids head off to the hospital for malaria treatment….treatment that they otherwise would not have had if our church wasn’t financially invested here. 

Whether you’re involved in our church or not, you are able to give through Peace Portal Alliance so that kids continue to get the life-saving medicine they need.  It doesn’t have to be much to make a difference.   And here’s some good news for those of you who are a bit skeptical of giving to religious institutions (perhaps a bit too much of Jimmy Baker in your past!): 100% of your donation gets over to Uganda to make a difference.  I know, because I send it each month.

I know there’s lots of good causes to put your money towards—I’m not trying to guilt anyone.  It just might be that right now is the right time for you to get involved in something like this.  If so, I and the 54 other kids who depend on support from Canada say a big, ‘thank you!’