Youth Group Sponsors Entire Refugee Camp To Prevent Death From Malaria
by Antonella Antonecchia Thursday, Jul. 09, 2009 at 12:42 PM

Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay completely sponsored the entire refugee camp Bakavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo implementing for the refugees a right we all share: the Right to Life.

Florida, July 2009 - Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay completely sponsored the entire refugee camp Bakavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo implementing for the refugees a right we all share: the Right to Life.

The solution the youth found is bed nets. Why bed nets? Every year nearly one million people die of one disease on one continent. The disease is malaria and it is the number one killer of African children. Malaria infects more than 500 million people a year and kills more than a million - one person dies about every 30 seconds, according to US Center for Disease Control and Prevention Center. Since shelter is inadequate to keep out mosquitoes, which are the leading cause of this deadly disease, those in refugee camps are most vulnerable. Insecticide-treated bed nets protect potential victims from mosquitoes when the mosquitoes strike most, while they are sleeping.

The camp was sponsored working with the Nothing But Nets program, which supplies insecticide treated nets to refugees throughout Africa. And how did these kids sponsor this refugee camp? Simple, they asked their friends, "Would you save a life for $10?" With these efforts the group raised enough money to send 109 nets to Bakavu refugee camp, saving the lives of 218 refugees.

There are about 35 million refugees worldwide, and 80 percent of them are women and children, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. After the nets are purchased Nothing But Nets then works with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to send the bed nets to the refugee camps in Africa.

As humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard stated, "Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream". Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay is non-profit group that educates youth about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in schools, community groups and camps.

By sponsoring the refugee camp Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay saved 218 lives, giving the refugees the rights they deserve, such as Human Right #25, "Food and Shelter for All", Human Right #3 "The Right to Life", and Human Right #14 "The Right to Seek A Safe place to Live".

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