Apr 13 2008
SAS students organize swimathon to help fight malaria in Africa – here’s how you can help!
Published by Jason Welker at 1:03 pm under Development,Poverty
Shanghai American School AquaEagles – World Swim Against Malaria
Students, teacher, parents, readers… here’s a good opportunity to spread good will and support students who truly care and want to make a difference in the world. The SAS swim team has organized a “World Swim Against Malaria” swimathon on Friday, April 18. The Aqua Eagle have set up a website where anyone can go and make a donation, small or large, $1 to $100, anything you can offer is welcome!
The money raised will go straight towards buying mosquito nets for residents of sub-Saharan African countries. A mosquito net costs $5 US, or roughly 7 days wages for a Malawian worker. One to three million die of malaria each, year, 70% of whom are children under five. Today alone, seven jumbo jets could be filled with the corpses of malaria victims.
Malaria is a disease of those in poverty. The simple solution to this disease is providing access to the simplest of technologies: a mesh bed net.
For each $100 the swim team raises, 20 nets will end up over the heads and beds of children in Africa. $100 could potentially save 20 lives right now. If you want to help out, follow the link above and make your donation now!
About the author: Jason Welker teaches International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement Economics at Zurich International School in Switzerland. In addition to publishing various online resources for economics students and teachers, Jason developed the online version of the Economics course for the IB and is has authored two Economics textbooks: Pearson Baccalaureate’s Economics for the IB Diploma and REA’s AP Macroeconomics Crash Course.
Jason is a native of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and is a passionate adventurer, who considers himself a skier / mountain biker who teaches Economics in his free time. He and his wife keep a ski chalet in the mountains of Northern Idaho, which now that they live in the Swiss Alps gets far too little use. Read more posts by this authorRelated posts:
