While summit speakers tackled a wide range of topics from poverty to AIDS, some of the best-known Christian leaders there spoke out on the specific issue of malaria.
Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, the Rev. R. Randy Day from the United Methodist Church and the Bishop Joao Somane Machado of the United Methodist Church in Mozambique, addressed what can and must be done to prevent the spread of malaria – a disease that kills a child every 30 seconds, and claims the life of more than a million people each year.
“I don’t often cite a lot of statistics but it is important for us to understand the scope and seriousness of malaria in the world and in Africa in particular, and the numbers are indeed staggering,” said Day, the General Secretary of the UMC’s Board of Global Ministries. He added that nine people will have died in the time he finished his speech.
All three ministers highlighted the need for workers in all fields – public policy, humanitarian, religious advocacy – and people in all nations to work together.
"Poverty and religion and health care are not religious issues," Warren said, adding that he is willing to work with anyone on this issue. "They're not political issues. They're human issues."
"This is not an African issue," said Machado of the disease that kills 4,000 children in Mozambique each year. "It's not only for poor countries. It's global."
Both Warren and Day outlined some of the strategies churches are undertaking to fight malaria.
Warren’s P.E.A.C.E. plan, which addresses what he calls the five major “Goliaths” of the world – spiritual emptiness, egocentric leadership, poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy – also touches on malaria prevention tactics that begin with mobilizing the local church.
It has been shown, he said, that money and medicine are not enough to stop the spread of malaria. "What is lacking is motivation and mobilization. Those are the things keeping people in poverty and ill health."
The United Methodist Community Based Malaria Prevention Project, which Day said will be launched in Sierra Leone in early December, also utilizes the “grassroots infrastructure.”
“Often in the NGO circles, we talk about grassroots infrastructure,” said Day. “But those of us who are pastors know that we’re really talking about congregations. We have all these congregations along with the hospitals and clinics, and we have the people.”
The pilot project in Sierra Leone will draw participants from seven countries. The participants, who will come for training at the denomination’s Maternity and Health Center in Kissy, will also serve as points of contact to expand the project across Sub Saharan Africa.
Parts of the project involve educating and equipping the people on the ground.
"When we talk about poverty, about fighting poverty, we need these young people tomorrow," the bishop said. He explained that solar-powered or wind-up radios and community radio stations can help provide education for such youth.
Day added that such radios cost only 30 dollars, and mosquito nets cost only five dollars – an extremely low price to pay to save a life.
"No one, absolutely no one, needs to die of malaria in the world today," said Day.
According to statistics, one million people die of malaria every year and one in five children under five in Africa fall victim to the pandemic. Malaria affects 40 percent of the world’s population and costs the African economy an estimated $12 billion a year.
The Gates Foundation on Oct. 30 announced the funding of three grants, for a total of $258.3 million, to fight malaria through the development of an advance vaccine, new drugs for treatment and improved insecticides and other mosquito control methods.
Day, who thanked the Gates Foundation for their efforts, encouraged United Methodists in the U.S. to also take part in fighting the disease.
“We believe that God is calling us, especially those of us who live in the United States to do everything we can to improve the health of those who live in poverty in Africa,” said Day.
A special fund for the United Methodist Community Based Malaria Prevention Program has been established with the denomination's Advance for Christ and His Church, a "second-mile" voluntary giving program. The Advance Special offers a way for United Methodists to participate in the malaria program as individuals or through local churches, districts and conferences. As a mission project, the program touches upon issues of health care, poverty and the needs of children.
Donations, payable to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, should be designated to Advance No. 982009, "Malaria Control." Checks can be dropped in church collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Credit-card gifts can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or going online to www.methodistrelief.org.
UMCOR also has prepared a church bulletin insert on the malaria program that can be downloaded from www.umcor.org by clicking on the resources link.
For more information, visit the United Methodist Church's Web site at www.umc.org.
Elaine Spencer
Christian Today Correspondent