Malaria Matters

Many of you are aware of my participation in the movement to eradicate malaria & have read some of my previous posts on the issue and why it has such personal relevance for me.  It's been a longtime plague to people on the African continent and tropical locations around the world and was historically a major endemic disease in South Carolina, but historically it hasn't received the amount of attention as other public health concerns.

That trend of under engagement has taken a significant turn in the right direction in recent years and this Spring I joined a group of advocates called the social media envoys, who have been leveraging the power of our respective communities to raise awareness & raise funds to support the eradication of malaria worldwide.  Today we're participating in a very special event being hosted by Nothing But Nets and featuring actress & singer Mandy Moore in a Facebook Townhall to let people know how we can send live saving bednets to every family in the Central African Republic who needs one.

Malaria is being eradicated by people just like you & me, collaborating online around the world.  Join us today at 2pm ET, to find out how YOU can join the movement!

Mission Malaria

It's World Cup time and for all my tweeps you know I've been tweeting like a madman for the love of the world's most popular sport.  The video above exemplifies the intersection of both the love of sport & the love of life and raises another issue I've been thinking a lot about lately.  For the past few months I've had the honor to join an amazing group of social media envoys who have committed to leveraging their networks to help end the scourge of malaria in Africa and across the globe.  Thus far the group has managed to raise worldwide attention and helped to inspire significant support towards it's mission, including the April announcement from the World Bank that it would commit $200 million to purchase 25 million of the remaining 50 million bed nets being sought by UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers.

I had a chance to interview Mr. Chambers for my show on Oprah Radio back in May and we discussed the malaria campaign, as well as the roots of his broader commitment to philanthropy.  I'm always struck by how the circumstances of peoples lives can have such a profound impact on what we place value on.  Many of you who know me, know that I've had significant personal experience with malaria.  It's inspiring to see so many people taking a stand to address this issue.  By eradicating the socially & economically debilitating effects of malaria, we help people in developing nations to better help themselves.  As an African I want to see people on the continent empowered to solve our own problems, to leverage the massive human & material resources of our homelands, and to break the cycles of poverty and misperception that continue to challenge us.

The video above is another example of how each of us can have a positive impact on our world, if only by deciding that something matters enough to speak out about.  In the midst of this global celebration of sport, here's to all the people doing their part to make a difference for millions of others irrespective of the flag they fly.  The hosting of the World Cup in S. Africa is just the tip of a profound and powerful continental iceberg.  Africa's best days are yet ahead of us, and I'm proud to be a part of ushering them in. I have a feeling the world will be stunned at just how much we will be bringing to the table in the coming years.

Click here to help support the cause. Vive l'Afrique!