On Thursday, Sept. 22, students and faculty gathered to raise awareness about the devastating effects of Malaria in Africa during McDaniel’s Night of Nets.
Although the mission of the night was serious, music filled the quad as students played volleyball, made t-shirts, and slept in tents. The money raised from t-shirt and food sales went to purchasing nets for children in Africa to help prevent the spread of malaria.
Night of Nets is a national movement to raise money and awareness about malaria and its global effects and implications.
According to the Acts to End Malaria’s website, approximately 2,000 children around the world die every day from malaria, which is a disease carried by mosquitos and contracted through their bites.
Sophomore Amanda Webster says, “I personally did not know that many children died for malaria; that statistic is shocking to me.”
The organization’s goal is to end malaria by the year 2015 through the purchase of insecticide-treated bed nets, each of which costs about six dollars and can save the lives of two children.
Clubs like the Advocacy Team and the Outdoors Club worked together to put together McDaniel’s Night of Nets 2011. Students who attended were encouraged not only to donate to the cause, but to speak up by calling or writing a letter to Senators and Representatives to support the issue.
Mike Webster, director of campus safety, believes that “even if someone doesn’t participate in Night of Nets, they [the clubs] put up so much advertisement, it’s impossible not to be aware of the situation.”
Webster’s opinion speaks directly to the goals of the event; to make the issue of malaria so prevalent that it is impossible for people to ignore. To learn more about the cause and how you can help, go to actstoendmalaria.org.
