600,000 Malaria Nets Distributed in Ghana

Malaria nets have lowered infant mortality in Ghana

The Rev. Joy Daley on malaria prevention efforts in Ghana…

Many of us have been supporters of Episcopal Relief & Development for years. I knew their work was good—but I left Ghana realizing that it is truly amazing. Take the staff of the ADDRO office, for example. They are all local residents who work hand in hand with Episcopal Relief & Development. In May, this committed group of about 10 people enlisted 11,000 volunteers and worked with them to install 600,000 mosquito nets in homes throughout the countryside. They didn’t just drop off the nets, they also provided instruction on how to use them to prevent malaria.

Six hundred thousand nets—not in a year or a month but in just one week! In northern Ghana, the country’s poorest area, infant mortality had been at 96 per 1,000 live births. It has dropped to 53 per 1,000 due to malaria prevention with mosquito nets. As the work continues, I know that number will keep dropping.