Teens raise $12,000 to combat malaria

March 30, 2009

While their schoolmates were learning about math and science some James M. Hill Memorial High School students were saving lives.

Tyson Theriault's world issues class raised $12,000 this year for the Spread the Net campaign's student challenge to combat malaria in Africa.

Founded by Rick Mercer and former MP Belinda Stronach, the initiative works with UNICEF to provide mosquito nets to people in Liberia and Rawanda to help reduce malaria transmission.

Theriault said the school came in fourth among high schools across the country and sixth overall, including universities and colleges.

"Considering we're outnumbered by the other schools that's not too bad."

The school's participation in the campaign started last year when the world issues students were looking for a cause to work with and one of the girls suggested Spread the Net.

"They thought it was the greatest good they could do for the least amount of money."

Students raised money through a loose change drive, a yard sale, the Misster JMH pageant and a calendar that featured work from 12 student artists.

The insecticide treated nets cost $10 per net and thanks to the school 1,200 nets will be used to cover beds in the sub-Saharan countries.

Mosquitoes carry a parasite called plasmodium that causes malaria. There are one-million people that die from malaria every year with 90 per cent of those deaths in Africa.

Theriault said the students raised $3,000 last year, but it was an end of the year project and they didn't know about the contest.

"It wasn't an ongoing project."

This year they set a goal of $10,000 and couldn't believe it when they surpassed their goal because it seemed high to them, he said.

"Almost everybody was telling them they couldn't do it, that that was too much money. It was a mixture of being so proud of themselves that they did do it but yet being disappointed that they came so close to the top but not quite getting there."

Kasandra Trajkovic is one of the World Issues students and said for a small school in a small community they raised a lot of money.

"I think we did excellent."

Although the students didn't expect to hear from any of the people they helped, Trajkovic said it didn't matter.

"Just to know that you saved a life is liberating."

Trajkovic said the students feel like they have saved lives by raising money for the Spread the Net campaign.

"We all saved a lot of lives and that's a great thing for Miramichi."