My Birthday

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Neighbors and Family.

(c) M. Hallahan/Sumitomo Chemical - Olyset Net

This Saturday (April 17th) I will be turning 25 and as I embark on the quarter century land mark I wanted to request from you to think about the millions of people who won’t ever make it this far.

On April 25th exactly 8 days after my birthday is World Malaria Day. It is the one day we can focus the world’s attention on this disease that is reasonable for 1 million deaths a year.

Malaria is one of the biggest injustices in the world today and no disease has claimed more lives than malaria has, from famous historic figures such as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan to the child who has just passed away in Sub Saharan Africa as you finish this sentence.

Malaria is a disease that kills a child every 30 seconds what makes this statistic so much worse is that malaria is a completely preventable disease. we have a saying that I use when talking about malaria that is ‘dying of malaria is like dying of a broken arm’. Imagine falling of your bike or down the stairs and you break your arm and because of that broken arm you die. The thought of it actually seems kind of silly how can we in this modern day dying from something like a broken arm? That’s what it is like dying from malaria, it doesn’t have to happen and it shouldn’t happen.

Malaria cripples economies when people can’t work for 2 weeks at a time or children miss school and lose education. it estimated that malaria alone costs Africa over 8 billion pounds a year in growth. Eliminating malaria can take a huge chuck of the poverty that flattens Africa.

What can be done? fantastic work is being done to eliminate malaria from around the world. Last summer I was blessed enough to go and visit a small town called Ifakara in the south of Tanzania. The word Ifakara in Swahili actually means the ‘place to go to die’ that’s how bad the malaria rates are in that part of the world. Fortunately Ifakara has now become this beacon of research and pioneering ways to counter malaria and other diseases.

One of the most effective and proven methods to help protect people from malaria is the use of an insecticide treated bed nets. These nets can protect a family while the sleep at night from mosquitoes that carry the parasite that causes malaria. It is such a cheap and easy way to protect families yet the poorest people in the world do not have access to these nets because they cannot afford them.

My Ask – A bed net costs £5. This money is used to make, distribute and educate people on the use of bed nets and how to stay safe. This year I turn 25 I am asking for all my friends to think about the 25 year olds in Africa and how much of a disadvantage they are compared to us and think about how much of a change we can make by buying 1 £5 bed net.

Instead of presents cards and gifts this year there is one thing I would like you all to do please visit my justgiving website www.justgiving.com/fa and please make a donation as big or as small as you wish to help get rid of this injustice. It would be perfect that on April 17th when I turn 25 I log onto that page and see we have hit the 15k mark. I know we can do it. And to take it that much further every penny raised on that site will be personally matched by former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Every pound will become two pounds. the website again is www.justgiving.com/fa

Kind Regards,

Nadeem

P.S – Are you free the evening of Monday 19th April? Join me for ‘Night under Nets’ in Knightsbridge a bed net will be donated on your behalf just by walking through the door www.faithsactfellows.org/nightundernets for more details

P.P.S To find out more about my work over the last year visitwww.faithsactfellows.org/nadeem