Independent of whether you have been bitten by a mosquito or not, you probably have never had the opportunity to closely observe a mosquito feed?  I just ran into a YouTube video that demonstrates this and I wanted to share this with you for informational (non-endorsement) purposes only. Please take a moment to watch this video as it vividly demonstrates  

Can I ask you a question?  When was the last time you were bitten by a mosquito?  Was it painful?  Did the bite area sting or itch?  Hopefully you did not get sick as a result?  And you did not end up spending money to regain your health or lose time because of your illness.

During my recent trip to Sierra Leone, I made adequate "anti-malaria plans" and requested a mosquito net even before my arrival.  Nevertheless, inevitably, as with almost everybody else, I got bitten a few times while outside in the evening.  Fortunately, the exposure was minimal and I did not get sick. 

While in Freetown, I had the opportunity to chat with a former classmate, who is now a General Practitioner, MD, practicing in Freetown.   Out of curiosity, I asked him the following question?  What is the number one sickness that you treat?  Without thinking or blinking, he immediately responded: "Malaria".  He went on to say that this affects a huge percentage of the population and almost by default, when someone falls ill, he starts by diagnosing for and then treating for malaria. 

This was sobering to me as I came afresh to understand the widespread nature of this issue - touching millions of lives each year.  While there are dismal records on the number of deaths each year, what is undocumented is the finance expenditure for recovery and time lost by the sick person and family members.  If researched this would surely value into billions of dollars each year.  The last thing that the economies in Africa need is the wasting of resources in this manner.

Fortunately, together we are part of the solution - by helping to provide mosquito nets. It’s good to know that we are additionally saving families from unnecessary expenditure and lost time.  Today - time is of so much value and our gift of nets - keeps on giving and saving so much time and money.  The nets that we provide are consequently very valuable – acting like insurance - providing protection and insulation from waste of resources and time. 

Thanks for your donations that keep on giving... giving life, protection and time.