As one of the sponsors for the Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s anti-malaria expeditions in 2014, Game will help save 80 000 lives across the African continent.
Picture: Game team members from Durban at the start of the Goodbye Malaria expedition with Kingsley Holgate
Game Africa director, Mark Turner, said each of the nets that will be distributed by the Kingsley Holgate Foundation in months to come would save up to five lives.
Since the partnership began 3 years ago, Game would have helped the Kingsley Holgate Foundation save the lives of at least 196 000 people, he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), a child dies from malaria in Africa every minute. Nets treated with insecticides are one of the most important and successful methods of preventing malaria transmission via mosquito bites. They are also the most simple and cost effective means of dealing with malaria in both rural and disadvantaged communities with no access to even the most basic resources.
As Africa’s largest discounter of household goods and general merchandise, Turner said that Game had made an ongoing commitment to giving something back to the people of Africa.
“It’s all about working together and uniting against malaria. Kingsley Holgate can do what most of us cannot – venture into some of the continent’s wildest and most dangerous regions to reach those who need help the most,” he said.
Turner said that, because children and pregnant mothers are most vulnerable to malaria infections and because a startling 90 percent of malaria deaths are among children under the age of five, Game and Kingsley Holgate’s team had decided that the nets would be donated to mothers and children.
team members from Maputo distribute insecticide treated
nets to women and children in Mozambique.
The Kingsley Holgate Foundation’s first anti-malaria campaign for 2014 will be the Goodbye Malaria Expedition which includes several short expeditions into Mozambique where Game can provide support from its Maputo stores.
From there, the Foundation will venture into Northern Botswana and Zimbabwe.
In April, the Foundation will embark on the Kuomboka World Malaria Day Expedition in Zambia. Starting from the Game store in Lusaka, members of the Kingsley Holgate Foundation will travel to the Barotse floodplains to distribute 5000 mosquito nets.
This will be followed by the Jade Sea Expedition which reaches the northern frontier district of Kenya and the Chauncy Maples Expedition to Malawi.
Each expedition would be supported by the respective Game store in each particular region.
Turner said that further life saving expeditions are planned for the rest of the year and that Game would release more details as and when these became available. He also highlighted that with Game’s link to the Kingsley Holgate Foundation, the retailer was able to be part of an Indoor Residual malaria spraying programme which has to date, sprayed 65 000 community members in over 22 000 households.
“Our approach is a holistic one. We aim to create awareness, educate and help prevent the spread of the disease and are committed to giving back to the communities that support us.”