Whenever a mother arrives at the any  Health Center  in Luuka District near the  with a young child who is running a temperature, vomiting, or convulsing, the health workers there know the diagnosis is likely to be malaria.

It’s estimated that Ugandan children under the age of five suffer at least three bouts of malaria each year. Many children die of malaria each year. Others become orphaned when their parents succumb to the illness.

Malaria is the biggest threat that Ugandan children face as every night the majority of them are at risk from the bites of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The facts are hard to face because they are so horrific and could so easily be different.

Children’s health, education and future are put at risk from malaria every night. It is a disease which keeps whole communities locked into a poverty cycle as economic progress is held up through interrupted work and education and regular treatment simply drains a family’s resources.

With children often suffering from this disease 5 times a year more than 10% of lessons can be missed because of malaria. Many pupils’ education is damaged by this disease due to the tiredness that comes from anemia and in more serious cases because of the damage done to the brain by the parasite.

Many parents in rural communities of Luuka see this is as normal and due to high levels of illiteracy they are unaware of the cause of malaria. We have come across parents who firmly believe that mangoes are the main cause for malaria or others who consider dirty water to be the reason. As a result of this and the cost, there is a very low level of mosquito net usage in these communities.

But we are so delighted that today all the children in our care have been able to get a well treated mosquito net. This is thanks to the tireless work of our donors in the US who are working tirelessly to make sure that the lives of orphaned children in Luuka get transformed.