Their Story
"I contracted malaria last year while visiting Tanzania, Africa. The pain was unbearable and the fear unimaginable. I was alone. The only people near me were strangers who continued to pray in Swahili over my bed. Just when you think it can never happen to you, think again. It happened to me …and it nearly killed me.
For three days I was stuck in a third world hospital bed with no food, no water, no friends, no comfort…not even any fellow Americans within eyesight. But…lucky for me… I had cash. Seven dollars was all it cost me to get the life-saving treatment. Without seven dollars, I would have died. Just like two thousand eight hundred children did that same day from the same disease.
Malaria coupled with those 3 days in the Bukoba hospital changed my life forever. I returned to America determined to give others the same chance I had to fight and survive one of Africa’s most deadly diseases.
I remember looking down at a bracelet on my wrist. I had purchased it right off the hand of a Maasai warrior in the Serengeti a week before. It was blue and resembled the vast sky of the region, but more importantly, it was a symbol of the Maasai heritage, culture and existence.
This bracelet became a symbol of life.
And so… Malaika for LIFE was born, a non-profit project that raises funds for malaria treatment and medication through the sale of handmade African beaded bracelets. The bracelets go full circle. The women who make the bracelets are happy and those who once suffered from malaria now smile because they can get treatment.
My goal is simple…to continue to sell bracelets that save lives every day until a larger and more powerful organization can step in and find a cure, a vaccine, or an alternative method that is immediate, effective and sustainable.
Until then…we keep plugging away everyday. We are small and all volunteer but let me tell you…we have produced some big results. More than 200 people each month are now getting the life-saving malaria treatment.
I have learned that it doesn’t take much to change someone’s life. All they need is an Angel, Malaika in Swahili.
I have left my job in broadcast. I said goodbye to the flashy lights and path to stardom to focus all of my efforts on making certain that those who are suffering can find a Malaika, someone who cares enough to give them a chance to survive the deadly yet treatable disease."
Copywright http://malaikaforlife.org/site/our-story/
