Yorkregion.com - Newmarket - Sacred Heart leads malaria fight
Sacred Heart leads malaria fight
Newmarket
Apr 26, 2008 10:45 PM
By: Teresa Latchford
Students at Sacred Heart Catholic High School netted top prize in the national Beat the Mosquitoes Challenge.
Newmarket-Aurora MP Belinda Stronach returned to her old high school in Newmarket to award students with a plaque for raising the most funds out of participating Canadian high schools for the Spread the Net initiative, started by Ms Stronach in partnership with comedian Rick Mercer.
The initiative uses the fund to purchase $10 mosquito nets to help stop the spread of malaria in Liberia and Rwanda.
“I didn’t think we would win the high school challenge,” Sacred Heart Catholic High School student Alexandra O’Brien said, explaining this year’s event was organized in only a fraction of the time as the last.
Students were encouraged to get creative and involve their local communities as they raised awareness and funds.
More than 200 schools participated, raising $105,000, which will distribute more than 10,000 bed nets in Liberia and Rwanda. The local high school raised $16,500 by throwing a concert.
Two years ago, Ms O’Brien wrote a speech for English class with the hope of making fellow classmates aware of the number of people around the world stricken by poverty.
Through her research, she found people in some parts of the world are living on $1 a day and she thought she could make a small difference by sharing the information with her peers.
However, after delivering the speech, she wasn’t satisfied and set out to organize a concert called Youth Aid, leading to a repeat this year for a different cause.
With the help of her sister, Lauren, and a group of student volunteers, the event was a hit.
“The most important thing is we raised awareness about Spread the Net,” she added.
Every year, malaria infects between 300 million and 500 million and kills one million. It is the leading cause of death of children under five, is 10 per cent of the continent’s disease burden and accounts for 40 per cent of Africa’s health expenditure.
The solution, a $10 net.
For more information on the initiative, visit www.spreadthenet.org