Baraka Community Partnerships June Update

This month's update focuses on the good work we're doing in Zambia.


Baraka volunteer, Liz Cappetta distributes mosquito nets in Chikumbi.

Our new partnership with Millais School is off to a great start. In addition to sponsoring our work in the Zambian village of Katube, this West Sussex school is hoping to incorporate the partnership into their curriculum and use their involvement for learning purposes as well.

The mosquito net campaign in Zambia is very much at the forefront of our endeavours. Our wonderful volunteer, Sian Roberts has been especially busy helping out with this endeavor. To mention just one of her accomplishments: flying solo, she has already raised enough funds to purchase 1,174 mosquitos nets and around 80 kilos of medical and dental supplies. We have managed to distribute 1,250 nets of the 3,434 we have. We just need another 1,316 nets before AgainstMalaria will give us the 3,500 they pledged. Then Chikumbi will be completely covered! Whilst we do have the funds to pay for this, we are still on the look out for any donors that can help. In addition to this, the AMF has submitted a proposal that they will donate a further 2,500 nets, plus shipping, if we partner Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) in Lusaka. The plan is to combine our volunteer workforce, thus speeding up distribution and with a view to making it a long term partnership.

Follow this link to find out more about our mosquito net campaign and to donate to this worthy cause:
http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/baraka

Zambia Mosquito Net Distribution Video

Millais School and Baraka!

Millais School in West Sussex is helping Baraka Community Partnerships by sponsoring the village of Katube in the Chikumbi district of Zambia. We are hoping with the help of Millais to be able to build a new school for the children of Katube, who currently attend lessons under a tree – unless, of course, it's raining.



To the students, families and friends of Millais School, THANK YOU so much! Please make sure to visit our dedicated Against Malaria page to donate a net to the people of Katube:

http://www.againstmalaria.com/Fundraiser.aspx?FundraiserID=5976

Remember that until the end of term we are receiving matched funds from the Against Malaria Foundation. So, every £2.50 you donate means we can get two nets instead of the usual one. Statistically speaking, donating 20 nets is likely to save one child's life. At the moment, that costs £25.

Baraka Community Partnerships April Update

Zambia

Since our last update, we have been focusing much of our energy on our mosquito nets campaign. To date, we have distributed 750 nets, with more to be distributed when one of our volunteers, Sian Roberts, visits Zambia in May. So far, the funds have been raised for 800 mosquito nets and we hope to reach a target of 1000 before she sets off from her home in Toronto to distribute the nets in the Chikumbi region of Zambia. Thanks Sian!

For our mosquito nets campaign, we have partnered with Against Malaria, who match our donations net for net. We are hoping to raise the funds to reach our target of 3500 nets by the end of the summer, which combined with Against Malaria's contribution would result in a total of 7000 nets to be distributed by us in the Chikumbi region.

Follow this link to find out more and to donate:

http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/baraka

Morocco

A testament to the lasting impact of being a Baraka volunteer, our upcoming May trip to Morocco (in conjunction with Exodus travel company) has been oversubscribed! As a result we have more money than planned for our project in the Atlas Mountains village of Tijhza, and most of the volunteers for the trip are returnees.

Some of the activities that we have planned for the trip include refurbishing the homes of the elderly and poor, painting a school classroom, clearing up rubbish with local children, planting 180 trees with the Forestry Commission and local government, completing the water tower started last October and more.

For more about volunteering opportunities please visit our site: http://www.barakacommunity.com/

Urgent Plea for donations towards Malaria Nets in Zambia

For every mosquito net donated to Against Malaria, Baraka will match it!

Hello All,

Incessant rains in the Chikumbi region of Zambia have provided the perfect breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and donations for malaria nets are urgently needed. One malaria net costs only £2.50, and we are hoping to secure enough donations to blanket-cover the whole region, an effort that has been helped by the Against Malaria Foundation, who have kindly offered to match every net donated through Baraka Community Partnership.

Where is Chikumbi?

Chikumbi is a rural district of 11,700 people in 13 villages located 30 km north of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. Baraka knows the area well as we have carried out Community development here for two years. Malaria is a huge problem in the area: 90% of the population are affected in some form. Until our project began in January 2010, the district had received virtually no anti-malaria support and has little access to treatment or drugs.

Our Goal for Chikumbi

We are going to drastically reduce malaria here by covering every sleeping space with a net. Similar action in other communities has had a dramatic effect: by effectively starving the mosquitoes of a blood meal, the malaria-carrying mosquito population is dramatically reduced or dies out. In a similar project in Uganda (9 villages), 357 monthly cases of malaria was reduced to 7, a 98% reduction!

We need your help urgently as we are planning our next trip to Zambia soon. We have successfully distributed nets in one village, but we need to broaden our exposure to other villages.

Statistically speaking, it takes only £12.50 to save a life being taken by malaria- do you have this?

Please visit http://www.againstmalaria.com/Fundraiser.aspx?FundraiserID=5457 to make your donations.

Many thanks for your time and generosity,

The Baraka Team

Big Thanks to Bea's of Bloomsbury!

This is just a quick and friendly post to thank Bea and all the lovely folks at her Bea's of Bloomsbury bakeshop. Through their 6 Cupcakes = 1 Mosquito Net promotion, we were able to raise even more money and awareness for our mosquito net project in Zambia. We especially would like to thank all of Bea's customers who kindly participated in this worthwhile (and yummy!) endeavor.

As things stand now, Baraka Community Partnerships has raised enough funds to provide more than 400 households with mosquito nets. However, there are millions of people in Zambia without these inexpensive yet effective safeguards against malaria. We still have our work cut out for us!

Find out more about our Against Malaria campaign:

http://www.againstmalaria.com/baraka

Buy delicious baked goods and more at Bea's:

http://www.beasofbloomsbury.com

Bea's of Bloomsbury Fights Malaria with Cupcakes!

From Monday the 24th of August until Sunday the 30th, London's favourite bakeshop, Bea's of Bloomsbury will offer a yummy way help stamp out malaria in Africa! For every box of six cupcakes purchased next week, Bea's will donate the money to Baraka Community Partnerships to buy one mosquito net for a household in Zambia. Donating to a good cause never tasted so delicious!

It is estimated that in Africa a child dies every second from malaria. With a good mosquito net only costing a few quid, there's simply no reason why so many must worry about this deadly disease.

So head over to Bea's next week, eat some cupcakes and help make Zambia a safer, healthier place!

Bea's of Bloomsbury

44 Theobald's Road

London WC1X 8NW

0207 242 8330
contact@beasofbloomsbury.com

www.beasofbloomsbury.com

Hours :

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sunday 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

For more information about Baraka Community Partnerships and Against Malaria visit these sites:

www.againstmalaria.com/baraka

www.barakacommunity.com