There is no other cause that is simultaneously more deadly and easy to treat than alleviating death and suffering of those in malaria-stricken communities. Here’s why:
Over 1 million people, mostly kids under 5 years, die from malaria each year.
90% of malaria cases come from Sub-Saharan Africa.
40% of the world’s population lives in malaria-risk areas.
Over 1 million people, mostly kids under 5 years, die from malaria each year.
90% of malaria cases come from Sub-Saharan Africa.
40% of the world’s population lives in malaria-risk areas.
Insecticide-treated nets can protect two people for up to three years, reducing their infection risk by 23.6% (Govella, 2010).
You might ask: how effective are these nets at preventing malaria? From AMF’s website, “[e]very 100-1,000 nets we put over heads and beds, one child doesn't die.”
We’re looking at anywhere from $422-$4220 to save a child’s life. One of the concerns our class had with donating to large organizations was that it is harder to see, or perhaps less effective, to donate to large organizations, whose overhead might soak up a large percentage of our donation. Meanwhile our impacts can be pictured clearly when framed within a smaller cause--e.g. specialized rowing equipment. Yes, I believe these organizations create positive impact in their related communities, and I believe in local organizations who help fix the problems in their communities at the micro level. However, AMF’s case proves to have a macro-scale program, but with a very tangible, and big, outcome.
Through AMF, our concern with the dilution of our donation into overhead is not a concern, as 100% of proceeds funded by the public go towards buying nets.
The Against Malaria Foundation, founded in 2004, set out to create the most effective program to alleviate death by malaria. Backed by Givewell.org, thelifeyoucansave.org and Peter Singer, the Against Malaria Foundation provides the highest good--saving lives--at one of the lowest costs. And their contributions are part of a global reduction of malaria deaths: a 29% decrease since 2010.
AMF enables us to indirectly save lives... How amazing is that?
AMF enables us to indirectly save lives... How amazing is that?
Hi jerry!
ReplyDeleteI thought that your post was very well written, and heart felt. I know that malaria is a huge issue but it’s not one that we here in America think about much. After reading your blog post I was intrigued so I did some additional research. I was shocked to see that, “Malaria is the silent emergency that kills one child every 30 seconds, about 3000 children every day. (1)” A single child’s life is priceless yet this very curable and treatable issues still effects over 300 million people a year; killing nearly a million a year as you mentioned. Another fact that really stood out to me is, “Malaria has been estimated to cost Africa more than US$ 12 billion every year in lost GDP, even though it could be controlled for a fraction of that sum. (1)” As well, “ Malaria continues to slow growth by more than 1% a year(1).” This led me to the question of how much could it really cost to mostly eradicate this horrible and deadly issue? Some more research brought me to a new proposal which says “the total amount of projected funding needed for the current malaria-eliminating countries (34 countries) to achieve elimination and prevent reintroduction through 2030 is approximately US$8.5 billion, or about $1.84 per person at risk per year(2).” Let’s just say that this is a 10-year plan. If Africa looses 12 billion a year in GDP due to malaria they would by 2030 have lost at least 120 billion in GDP. But it seems that this plan would spend just 8.5 billion over this same time period. To me it seems simple that the benefits outweigh the costs [120Billion – 8.5 Billion = 111.5 Billion], but maybe that’s just the economist in me. My question is why has this plan not been implemented given that not only will countless lives be saved but also large sums of money that can be invested in other factors such as education or sustainable energy and water? Thanks for the interesting read!
Sincerely,
Jacob Croes
(1) https://www.unicef.org/media/media_20475.html
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25551454
Thank you for this very clear post. You really outlined the facts about Malaria. AMF has a very clear goal which answers the main questions we've talked about for so long in class, what is the organization going to do with the donation? They also answer our second most recurring question, will this small donation make a real impact? Every cent goes towards the buying of these insecticide nets and these nets save lives wherever they are being used. You're absolutely right Jerray, that is amazing.
ReplyDeleteSalutations Jerray,
ReplyDeleteIn speaking about an issue that is so foreign to the western world we live in, you effectively delivered your opinion alongside relevant statistics. This immediately allows the reader to understand the severity malaria presents in other parts of the world, which was a great way to open.
I think that this would be a great organization in a similar field to donate to. I found that the Bill and Melinda Foundation* is also involved in finding a solution. However, like we've said in class and you reiterated now: we will see that we made a significant donation. The B&M Foundation spends billions of dollars each year, stating "[c]urrent tools and treatments are insufficient, however, to achieve elimination [of malaria] in many countries. And the cost of maintaining these interventions has reached several billion dollars a year." Even if we donated the full $10,000 to a foundation as big as this one, it would still be a mere drop in the ocean. It is great to see that the money our class can donate would be able to buy several nets for people who need.
*Link to the Bill and Melinda Foundation website page on Malaria, from which I got the quotation
https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Health/Malaria
Hi Jerray. I think your post is well-written, informative, and straightforward.
ReplyDeleteI had two questions immediately after reading your charity pitch. The first, why did you choose the AMF? What about it intrigues you and propelled you to write about it? The second question is, how is it that 100% of the public’s proceeds to AMF are put towards buying nets? I found that non-net and administrative costs were funded by private donors who knew they were donating to these areas. I found it interesting how there were categories other than ‘non-net costs and funds’ that still were not going towards buying nets. It reminded me of our discussion last class about what counts and a program cost and what counts as an operating cost.
After doing this research, I found myself with more questions. I came across a NYT article, where a man wrote about his and his wife’s donation and experience with GiveWell and the AMF. They said that they discovered that their donation in January 2013 did not even make it to the London base until September 2013. While the time elapsed does not concern me much, it is why that I would be curious to know. I also found it interesting that most of the time when the AMF is referred to - it is said to help Africa. I did not come across much information on the organization’s effects it had on other countries that it helps.
One thing that I do like about the AMF is its praise of donors and partners. The AMF website has a list of all the recent donors and the amount they gave, and shows where their partners have distributed nets.
I look forward to your presentation!
https://www.againstmalaria.com/financialinformation.aspx#Notes
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/26/your-money/giving-away-money-and-making-sure-its-put-to-work.html
https://www.againstmalaria.com/Distributions.aspx?MapID=1
Hi Jerray,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I’d like to thank you for bringing this issue to light. Previous comments mention how it can often go unnoticed in the Western world, and that fact is very obvious in my own life. To be perfectly honest, the extent of my knowledge about malaria and the havoc it wreaked dates back to previous centuries. I learned it was eradicated from America, and never gave it much of another thought. Therefore, it shocked me to see the immense damage it still causes in other societies. Information from the UNICEF article reminded me of when we were talking about issue areas in class, and came to the conclusion that poverty is the root of most problems in Broome County. Malaria is that root problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, and aiming to counter it can do even more than save lives - which is already one of the greatest goods, as you acknowledged.
However, I was at first skeptical of donating money to the insecticide-treated nets, originally ignorant of their effectiveness in fighting the disease. I compared donating to the Against Malaria Foundation with donating to food banks. While this does good, it doesn’t aim towards systemic change and really get to the root of the problem. Like Ben, I came across the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works for the eradication of the parasite, and wondered why not make that our cause.
I’ve realized it all comes back to points made during our last class session. So long as we’re dealing with trustworthy organizations, no matter where we put our money, we are likely to make some impact. It’s just a matter of whether we want our impact to be visible and immediate or to be contributed to a more collective effort. Furthermore, while the eradication of the parasite is very important particularly for the future, people are still suffering/in danger of suffering right now. We argue about whether we want to fund short-term or long-term problems, but no matter what conclusion we come to, both short-term and long-term problems exist.
In the end, these nets help people and save lives everyday, on a scale much wider than I had imagined. In their efforts to eliminate malaria, African community workers “distribute mosquito nets, demonstrate how to properly tuck them under sleeping mats and mattresses . . .” (The Global Fund, 2017) Locals view these as a clear need. An article attached below, however, notes the importance of considering “social roles and cultural expectations” in foreign societies, even in terms of disease treatment. What our society recognizes as the best way to do things - or treat the ill - might not fall within others’ social constructs. Thankfully the Against Malaria Foundation appears to acknowledge this fact and respect the standards of societies they reach out to.
Article links:
Citation - https://globalfund.exposure.co/filling-the-health-care-gap
On “social roles,” etc. - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3746/
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ReplyDeleteDear Jerray,
ReplyDeleteAs our classmates before me mentioned, very well written post! It is obvious that you are passionate about the cause but more importantly, you have given yourself a lot of credibility with the number of statistics and external sources provided in the post.
Since we are talking about Malaria, I want to share an article that I read today on Washington Post. The article discusses President Trump's budget requests. Relevant to our discussion, the most recent budget requested a dramatic 32% cut for The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). This international organization carries similar goals as AMF and the US government has been supporting it. The president has proposed other extreme cuts for global health aid. With that in mind, I think supporting organizations such as AMF is as important as it has ever been.
On the other hand, Bill Gates Foundation has been fighting Malaria last couple years. The organization pledged to eradicate Malaria in the near future. I want to share Bill Gate's TEDx talk from 2009 about Mosquitos, malaria and education. I personally see Bill Gates as one of the biggest philanthropists to ever live, therefore his committed fight against malaria shows the scope of the problem but at the same time gives us hope for the eradication.
Link to the Washington Post article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2018/03/14/the-health-202-tillerson-s-rhetoric-didn-t-match-reality-when-it-came-to-global-health/5aa8043030fb047655a06c3e/?utm_term=.bf7b73ed9ffc
Bill Gates TEDx: https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_unplugged