Success! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our Malaria Kills, Nets Save campaign!  We have raised enough to purchase 137 bed nets.  The bed nets you purchased will be distributed by our staff this week to families in Marurui Slum, Kenya. But let's keep going -- we want to distribute 400 nets.

Tell your friends, family, boss, co-workers, children, neighbors, classmates and teachers to buy a $10 bed net and save the life of a child……TODAY!

http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare

Photos to follow!

Help us meet our goal of giving 400 children in Kenya a net that prevents malaria

Today I found the article that explains why we initiated our program Project 473. I read the statistics again in the article and remembered why we do what we do...473 children under age 5 die everyday in Kenya. And, 93 of them die from malaria - 34,000 children every year who die from the lack of a bed net.

Help us help the team on the ground save some of those children. Buy a bed net...or two...or a hundred. Bed nets work. They save lives. The bed net costs $10.00 each. It is easy...click here - it only takes a few minutes to save a life.

http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare

Thanks to those who already donated to our campaign Malaria Kills...Nets Save.

Blessings,

Connie
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Malaria Kills, Nets Save

Malaria is a preventable disease, yet it kills one child every 60 seconds in Africa. 

How can that be when a $10 bed net would save that child?

We would all gladly buy most anything for $10 if it would save the life of our own child.  Will you join Partners for Care in providing treated bed nets for children in Africa?  

Every child deserves life.   Give to live!

http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare

Malaria kills...nets save

April 26th is World Malaria Day - 6 days from today!
 
Partners for Care has a goal and a prayer . . .to raise funds for 400 bed nets for children in the slums. Our Partners for Care staff will distribute the nets door to door teaching Moms how important a net is...how it can save their child's life.
 
Thank you to those who have already bought nets. If you've not yet had a chance, it's easy and a VERY affordable way to make a difference in someone's life - just $10.00 a net. 
 
Please take a minute, follow the link below, and help give someone a hope and a future.  When you are on the site it is easy to send to your Facebook, twitter or whatever social media you use! Help us get the word out to others.

Thanks for giving...thanks for getting to word out and thanks for caring.
 
http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare
 
Connie
 

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Buy a net, save a child

In African communities where treated bed nets are hung, malaria-related child deaths are often reduced by 45%.

Buy a net, save a child.

http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare

Malaria kills...nets save

I am asking you to join me in helping prevent at least one child from dying from malaria. Every 60 seconds, a child in Africa dies from malaria.  Just by purchasing a single treated bed net, you can save one child. The more nets you purchase, the more children can be protected from the deadly mosquito that carries this disease. Our team on the ground will deliver the net to a child and follow-up to make sure the net is used properly.  

April 26 is World Malaria Day.  Malaria kills, nets save.  Join Partners for Care in this important campaign.  

Here's a link. It's really fast and easy.

http://www.crowdrise.com/malariakillsnetssave/fundraiser/partnersforcare

Thank you for caring and for making a difference,

Connie
        

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Most challenging but rewarding day

I spent the day with a film crew filming the use of the water back packs. The footage will be used in the TV documentary Responsible Business featuring Greif.

Our first location was the small, village church where we distributed the water pack bags on Monday. The team had already distributed packs here earlier so they have been using them awhile.

The filming went great! Five of the women put the packs on and we followed them down to the watering hole. Keeping up with them was hard on the steep, muddy trail!

Daniel -  camera man

They filled their packs and Daniel (the camerman) filmed them climbing up from the hole with their water packs on their backs. He then followed them up the hill, through a field planted with maize and beans and back to the church.

The women also showed Daniel what it was like to carry a jerry can full of water up the hilly, muddy trails. It is hard for them to keep their balance with a jerry can on their back.

Carrying heavy jerry can up a muddy hill

Francisco the Community Health Worker took us to her house and Daniel filmed her explaining how the water back pack keeps the water safe.

The pastor was filmed telling how the women can better hear the word of God when they aren't in pain from carrying the heavy jerry can.

We completed the filming at the PFC medical clinic filming Mercy, our clinical medical officer, Robert, PFC board member and Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Sammy the Director of PFC Kenya and me. We each played a part in telling about the impact of the water back packs in Kenya.

Preparing for our interviews

1. Mercy told them how important the packs are in helping women in the rural area drink safe water and avoid the diarrhea diseases. She said these women are the ones who ensure the family has food and when they are sick the family goes hungry.

2. Robert said how making the pack backs in Kenya would provide jobs and could be a great social enterprise for PFC.

3. Sammy thanked Greif and PackH20 as PFC is in the business of saving lives and the water back packs help in this mission.

4. I spoke of how vital it is to partner with companies like Greif. They have the ideas and the desire to help in the world and we have the "boots on the ground" to go the last mile to deliver to those most in need.

When the documentary is completed I will send you the link to watch.

A rewarding but tiring day...but worth it!

Connie
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Perfect water back pack distribution

Today I observed the Partners for Care staff execute a perfect water pack distribution! What a joy to watch. They had already distributed 50 packs at this church and they were returning to distribute 50 more packs. This is a small, village church that is one of 250 churches that we are partnering with.
The team didn't share with me that we would be driving down a mountain to the church! And, it was muddy from the rain. I closed my eyes a few times and prayed.

It is really impossible to describe how the water back packs have helped these women! The women walk DOWN a hill about a mile to fetch water from a stream that is down a hole!

Getting water from the well

And, they pay for the water because the land is owned by someone. Some of the women go at 2am to get there early before the stream is dry. These women were tying a jerry can on their back to fetch the water. I put it on my back to see what it felt like. Just imagine putting five 10 pound bags of potatoes and walking up a muddy, hilly trail for over a mile. Truly, it seems impossible to do! I walked to the stream with them without carrying anything and it wasn't easy!

Heading home with packs

Now they have the water back packs! To say they love them doesn't really explain the happiness and appreciation we saw today.

They even go at night for water

Many things made this distribution perfect:

1. The pastor is the one ensuring the distribution of the packs.

Distributing packs

2. The community health workers teach the people how to use the packs.

Community health worker explaining how she likes her pack

3. They are using water guard to ensure the water is safe for drinking. And, for those who can't afford the .25 to buy water guard the PFC staff taught them how to use solar sanitation to ensure the water is safe.

4. The small church was full with the villagers coming to receive the packs and to thank the PFC staff for the packs they received last time.

5. The children sang and danced for us and then the youth sang. They had electricity for the sound system from a small generator.

6. They prepared food for us and tea - very humbling given their level of poverty. We sat outside the church in plastic chairs enjoying the view of the beautiful mountains of Kenya and shared the meal.

7. As we were leaving, they gave us a live chicken in appreciation. We have the chicken in a box in the back of van - taking it to Nairobi with us!

It was wonderful watching the Partners for Care team distribute the packs! They are doing an outstanding job - they teach how to use the water back packs, then they have the people do the return demonstration to ensure they know how to use the packs correctly and then they give the packs to the pastors who works with the CHWs to distribute the packs. The Partners for Care team truly enjoy seeing how the water pack backs change the lives of so many people. We are blessed as an organization to be involved with Greif, PackH20 and Habitat for Humanity with the pack project.

From Kenya,
Connie

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