Homegrown Thoughts

If you’ve been reading my blog lately, you’ll know that we are now sponsoring a little Tanzanian girl through Compassion International. My desire to do this was brought to a head as I read the blog posts from a group of bloggers who recently went to Uganda on a Compassion trip. One of those bloggers was BooMama. She has now brought to my attention an initiative by Compassion to provide mosquito nets for families in malaria-prone areas, such as Uganda and Tanzania. If you feel that you want to help the children of Africa but can’t currently commit to a monthly sponsorship, read on. You can easily have a huge impact on a family with a small one time donation. From BooMama’s blog:

“I sat next to one of the hospital’s doctors, and after a few minutes of pleasantries, I asked him if it was frustrating to be a physician in Uganda. Much to my surprise, his eyes filled with tears. And he nodded.

“It’s tough,” he said, “because our children die from preventable diseases. AIDS is preventable. Malaria is preventable. But our people don’t have access to medicine. They don’t have access to mosquito nets. Mosquito nets are so inexpensive, and they can save children’s lives. But there aren’t enough to go around.”

Today, April 25th, is World Malaria Day. And through the Bite Back campaign, you can give a one-time donation of $10 and provide a mosquito net for a child - or a family, if they’re all sleeping in the same place - who otherwise would have no protection from this completely preventable disease. That $10 will also provide education and treatment for people who are already sick with malaria.

Click here to donate $10 that will provide a mosquito net for a child (you can donate more than that if you feel led and can still donate after today). Each net lasts three years, so for $3.33 a year - less than a penny a day - you can save a child’s life.

Please prayerfully consider donating to this cause if you are able.  And if you just can’t spare $10 right now but still want to help, then link to BooMama’s post from your blog. Help to get the word out and encourage your readers to give.