Students take up malaria mission
A GROUP of Wellington students Tanzania-bound armed with mosquito nets are excited to be doing their bit to help reduce malaria.
As part of World Challenge, an organisation that works in partnership with schools taking young people on adventures to develop their life skills, 10 Scots College students are heading to Africa to work at a community clinic to distribute mosquito nets to vulnerable women and children.
The intention is to aid the fight against malaria in the area of Mabogini, 10km outside the main hub town of Moshi, a known hotspot for malaria because of the high density of rice paddy fields in the area, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
They depart
for the month-long
trip on Boxing Day after 21⁄ years of buildup and fundraising for the $10,000 it costs each student.
Christian Lee is one of the group of year 11 and 12 students looking forward to helping out a worthy cause.
‘‘Malaria is one of the biggest causes of death in the world. We’re trying to help with a big problem and although we’re starting with a small, simple thing like mosquito nets, it’s still something we can do to help.’’
While there’s a lot of excitement among the boys, there’s a hint of nervousness about going to a country so different from home and not knowing what to expect. ‘‘For me, it’s a country I wouldn’t really think about visiting but getting to go with such a reliable group and learn new skills will be really interesting,’’ Lee said.
The students will be in charge of organising all the accommodation, making daily decisions and getting from place to place while in Africa.
On arrival, they will spend a couple of days acclimatising before attempting a seven-day trek to summit 5895-metre Mt Kilimanjaro. The students have been testing their fitness on Mt Kaukau in Wellington in between school, sport and working part-time jobs to raise extra money to cover the trip’s cost.
After a day at the clinic delivering mosquito nets, they will spend a week at a small village school building a toilet block and a new roof.
The students also hope to spend time with local children teaching them English and talking about New Zealand life.
Year 12 student Max Clifford, 17, expects the trip will be an eye-opening experience, similar to when he travelled to Fiji as part of a service trip with the school. ‘‘I find the helping part of it really rewarding.