Angela Kearney: Join in the fight against malaria

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: anti-malarial drugs!

We’re counting down to Christmas with the 12 Days of UNICEF where UNICEF ambassadors and champions post daily blog entries about the difference UNICEF Inspired Gifts are making in the lives of many children around the world.

Malaria is carried by mosquitoes, which are most active at night while children are sleeping, killing nearly a million children annually. For many of the world’s children, going to sleep each night means facing the nightmare of malaria.

Ester Rahmat of the isolated village of Yamli on the southernmost tip of the island of Halmahera in eastern Indonesia lost her youngest child to malaria several years ago.  Though she took her child to the health centre, good medicine was not available then. Her child died at 8pm the night after coming back from the clinic.  Now, thanks to assistance from the local government and UNICEF, better drugs and bednets are available in Yamli.

However, for many of the 150 million Indonesians living in areas where malaria is endemic, essential malaria drugs are in short supply.

These holidays, give a gift that will help children and their families fight against malaria. $23 will help us deliver a life-saving course of anti-malarial treatment to 15 children.

Angela Kearney, UNICEF Representative in Indonesia