The Houston United Methodist Church — working on a worldwide effort to eliminate malaria — will hold a 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 2, trivia night at the Houston High School cafeteria.
Admission is $10 per person or $80 for a team of eight.
Participants will answer questions as a team in several categories, such as sports, history, nature, the Bible, etc. There will be refreshments for sale, a silent auction and “opportunity” tickets sold for a colorful quilt.
Teams are encouraged to register ahead of time by calling Rita Ruckert at 417-967-3434. Individuals are welcome. Parking is in front of the high school or behind the cafeteria. Both entrances will be open.
“For the price of admission, a person can know that a bed net will be purchased to protect a family from malaria. So you’ll have a fun evening and do something worthwhile at the same time. It’s a win-win situation,” an organizer said.
Malaria claims a life every 60 seconds in Africa
A local effort to raise funds for malaria eradication is May 2 at the Houston High School cafeteria.
The United Methodist Church, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Foundation, has a goal of eliminating malaria by 2015. In Africa, a life is claimed every 60 seconds. Most of those involve children under 5.
The disease is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that feeds at night. Symptoms include fever, vomiting and severe joint pain. Left untreated, it causes convulsions, organ failure and death.
The international effort — ImageNoMalaria — has goals to accomplish its mission:
Prevention: Providing insecticide-treated bed nets, draining standing water and improving sanitation.
Education: Training local healthcare workers to teach their communities how to avoid the disease.
Communication: Providing radios to reach people with malaria prevention messages.
Treatment: Offering access to medication and rapid diagnostic tests.