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| New United Methodist Health Ministry Targets Malaria | ||||||||||||
The mission agency of The United Methodist Church today announced a new health ministry aimed at helping to eradicate malaria, a controllable disease that kills a child every thirty seconds. The United Methodist Community Based Malaria Prevention Program will be launched in Sierra Leone in the fall and will be extended from there. It will involve existing church-related health facilities and personnel. “We are acting in faith in this program,” said the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries. “We believe United Methodists will rally to this cause as they learn about the increasing ravages of the mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria and ways the disease can be prevented and treated.” Contributions can be made through the United Methodist Advance for Christ and His Church, a “second-mile” mission giving fund (see below). Rev. Day proposed a malaria initiative in an address to the board directors last April. The community-based approach was organized by the Health and Relief Unit of the international mission agency. Dr. Cherian Thomas, MD, is the staff member in charge. The program will be administered through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). “Community mobilization is a key component in the fight against malaria,” according to Dr. Thomas, who has played key roles in setting up other community based health programs. Community action is needed to clean up the breeding grounds of the malaria-bearing mosquitoes, assure that mosquito netting is used and that persons take medicines for prevention and treatment. “The community must own, manage and be responsible for the project if it is to succeed,” said Dr. Thomas. Malaria affects some 900 million people worldwide and kills between 1.5 and 2.7 million people annually, according to the World Health Organization. Sub-Saharan Africa is the hardest hit but areas of Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean are also affected. A majority of the deaths are among children under five years of age. “Malaria control is a form of Christian ministry,” Day said, noting that the new initiative is part of an emphasis on “Health and Wholeness” in which all general agencies of the denomination are taking part. An article in the August issue of Discover Magazine states that malaria is on the rise as the parasites become more resistant to older drugs, such as chloroquine, used in treatment. The article is entitled “Fighting the Parasite from Hell” ( http://www.discover.com/issues/aug-05/features/parasite-from-hell) . The United Methodist Community Based Malaria Prevention Program will be coordinated with international and national programs of prevention and treatment, according to the Rev. Paul Dirdak, director of UMCOR. Malaria is a major cause of and a result of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, significantly decreasing economic productive. “Rampant malaria slows progress in developing countries significantly simply due to the human hours lost to the course of the illness, as well as to the death toll” according to Rev. Dirdak. Thomas explained that the community based initiative will use medical and technical personnel at United Methodist-related health facilities to train community volunteers, who will then work with churches, civic associations, and local government in implementing malaria control efforts. UMCOR has prepared a church bulletin insert on the malaria initiative. It can be downloaded from the UMCOR web site, www.umcor.org , by clicking on the Resources link. For additional information on malaria consult the following:
People wishing to provide gifts by credit card may call toll
free, 800-554-8583. Checks may be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York,
NY 10087-9068. Checks are payable to UMCOR, and designated Advance #982009,
Malaria Control.
United Methodist Committee on Relief follows the professional accounting
and auditing regulations of The United Methodist Church. It is exempt
from tax
under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United
States
and qualifies
for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
Date posted: Aug 02, 2005 |
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