Bata Children’s Program Malawi is the first country to distribute 260 impregnated nets sponsored by Charles Pignal to an orphanage in rural Malawi as part of the 1 NET, 1 LIFE – Africa Bata Children’s Program Malaria Campaign 2012. The Bata Children’s Program volunteers raised awareness among the children about the importance of using nets to prevent malaria in a creative way through street drama.

Bata Children’s Program Malawi choose an orphanage in Mulanje hosting 260 orphans to distribute the 260 impregnated malaria nets  sponsored by Charles Pignal during his fundraising marathon run in Barcelona earlier this year.

The nets were distributed to the children by the 15 Bata Children’s Program volunteers lead by Grace Mwutho (BCP Coordinator for Malawi), in presence of numerous community members as well as the Director of the orphanage, Mrs. Mary Woodworth, who is a native Malawian.

In order to raise awareness about the importance of using the impregnated nets to prevent malaria, the Bata Children’s Program volunteers performed a drama for the children. The story goes like that: a family does not use the net while they are sleeping and one day one of the children gets sick. The neighbors say that the child is bewitched and advise them to see the African doctor. After examining the child, the African doctor tells them that the child is not bewitched, but he probably has malaria and encourages them to go to the nearest hospital. The blood test confirms that the child has malaria. The moral of the story – you can well imagine – is always to use the impregnated nets while sleeping and most of all take good care of them in order to prevent malaria.