PC(USA) - International Health Ministries


	Networkers Malaria Prevention Program The NetWorkers Malaria Prevention Program was developed by International Health Ministries in response to the tragic human toll of malaria, which claims over a million lives each year. Malaria is the leading cause of death among children under five in Africa, and a major health threat to pregnant women. The economic toll of malaria is also staggering. Repeated bouts of malaria rob families of the ability to work while also diverting scarce income to pay for treatment, thus repeating a cycle of poverty and illness. Fortunately, because malaria is a disease caused by parasites borne by night-biting mosquitoes, infection can be significantly reduced simply by sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net. Nets are effective, inexpensive and easy to use. The NetWorkers program provides nets and malaria prevention education at project sites Africa and Asia. NetWorkers projects are community-based, implemented by the women of our PC(USA) partner churches overseas. At each project site, NetWorkers committees use Christ-centered educational materials to teach their neighbors how to prevent malaria, and they make nets available at locally-affordable prices. The word of God’s love and care is delivered by NetWorkers, along with the life-saving malaria prevention lessons. Two expectant mothers in Malawi learn about using a mosquito net to protect themselves from malaria. Photo by Dr. Dorothy Brewster-Lee. Led by the Presbyterian Women's groups, congregations in the U.S. support the NetWorkers Program by helping to purchase nets, insecticide and educational materials. Young people in our congregations can help provide nets for children by participating in the "Nickels for Nets" mission activity. U.S. Presbyterians also participate in the annual NetWorkers Mother’s Day activity, which supports NetWorkers Safe Motherhood projects for pregnant women in Malawi.


	2008 NetWorkers Mother’s Day Project 2008 NetWorker’s Mother’s Day card. Design by Michelle Bingham. The 2008 NetWorkers Mother’s Day cards are ready! Since 2001 the NetWorkers Mother’s Day Project has made it possible each spring for Presbyterians in the United States to support malaria prevention programs in Africa while also honoring our mothers and other special women on Mother’s Day. NetWorkers Mother's Day cards are available in exchange for a donation to the NetWorkers Malaria Prevention Program. Your gifts to the NetWorkers Program are used to purchase mosquito nets overseas and provide training and supplies for volunteer malaria prevention educators in our partner church communities. [Read more]


	Congregations Support NetWorkers Program with Enthusiasm and Creativity Dianne Smith, a member of United Presbyterian Church in Amsterdam, NY, led the entertainment at the "Malawi to Mayfield" mission program in upstate New York. Photo by Rev. Bonnie Orth. Congregations and presbyteries across the U.S. are, as a woman in Pennsylvania put it, "Catching the passion" for participating in the NetWorkers Malaria Prevention Program, and are demonstrating that enthusiasm in many creative ways. An innovative and entertaining mission program in upstate New York brought members of several small congregations together to learn about ministries of the church in Africa, particularly the NetWorkers Project. The mission program titled "Malawi to Mayfield" featured a meal of African dishes and African-style entertainment, at First Presbyterian Church of Mayfield, NY. Almost 90 participants, many of them wearing African dress, learned about the NetWorkers Program, specifically about the Safe Motherhood Project in Malawi, supported through the NetWorkers Mother's Day mission activity. First P.C. of Mayfield's Pastor, Rev Bonnie Orth, reports that the attendees at "Malawi to Mayfield echoed their enthusiasm for having a similar program again next year. "We had a wonderful night and the women are already asking what we plan to do for next year," Rev. Orth reported. In Alabama, Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Sheppards & Lapsley held their Spring Gathering at First Presbyterian Church of Eufaula. The program, under the theme "All of God's Creation.Africa!" included a workshop on the NetWorkers program. First P.C. member Zoe Powell has served as a volunteer NetWorker Resourcer for the past two years and has sparked a renewed enthusiasm for mission in Africa and the NetWorkers program. Zoe has distributed nearly 1,000 mosquito net kits for women in her area to assemble.


	New Video Available NetWorkers Safe Motherhood Project Women in Malawi show off a net made by Presbyterian women in the U.S. Photo by Gail Bingham. “NetWorkers Safe Motherhood Project” is a 10-minute video that delivers a clear understanding of the toll of malaria in Africa, and an inspiring look at how women in PC(USA) partner churches in Africa, helped by Presbyterian Women in the U.S., are working to protect the health of mothers in their communities. The video is available through PDS (# 74-330-03-002), or by contacting the International Health Ministries Office. There is a $5.00 charge.



	Children Can Be NetWorkers Too Malaria is the leading cause of death among young children in Africa. Photo by Frank Dimmock. Malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, making it the most common cause of death among children in Africa and the second leading cause of death among children in Asia. This year alone, 700,000 children, most under age five, will die from malaria. Millions of other children fall behind in their education, as an average of six malaria bouts each year makes them miss school repeatedly. These children can be protected from malaria by sleeping under a mosquito net. And children in the U.S. can help provide those nets. New resources to teach children about malaria and engage them in the NetWorkers project are now available. Children in your congregation can make a "Nickels For Nets" bank and save coins to provide a net for a child in Africa. The Nickels for Nets bank wrapper can be downloaded and printed for easy use. A color handout, "Mosquito Nets for Kids," that will help young people learn about malaria and how they can help other children, can also be downloaded, along with a children's sermon.


	Planning vacation Bible School? Last year, churches such as First Presbyterian of Midland, Texas, used the Nickels for Nets materials in a mission program for their youngsters in Vacation Bible School. Gathering children under a mosquito net can be a fun and effective way to talk about the harm malaria does to the health of boys and girls in Africa, and how we can help protect them with mosquito nets. Contact Gail Bingham for more information: (888) 728-7228, x5573 or by email.


	Malaria Prevention Resources Mosquito nets for kids Nickels for nets Children's Sermon Minute for mission


	Donate to the Malaria Prevention Program To donate to the NetWorkers Project, click the GIVE link below or make checks payable to PC(USA) and indicate "ECO 048013" on the check. To donate to the Mother's Day Project, click the GIVE link below or make checks payable to PC(USA) and indicate "ECO 048013 - Mother's Day" on the check. Send checks to: From Individuals PC(USA) Individual Remittance Processing P.O. Box 643700 Pittsburgh, PA 15264 From churches PC(USA) Church Remittance Processing P.O. Box 643678 Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3678 An acknowledgement of receipt of your donation will be sent to whatever name and address appears on the check. You may also use the easy “Give” feature below. Either way, receipt of your donation will be acknowledged in writing by Central Receiving Services.


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