Malaria in the Digital Age.

Malaria is a global killer, yet totally preventable. The majority of child deaths under the age of five within Sub-Saharan Africa alone are truly astounding, there is hope with child mortality now on the decrease in Africa.

A TED roadshow presentation about countries in Africa and their progression with MDG Goal 4: Child Mortality, highlights these improvements yet there is worry this is coming to a plateau of progression. Malaria is a global factor in child mortality and with news of mosquito's are becoming immune to prevention drugs along with a 'super species' of mosquito being found in Burkina Faso is a tremendous worry.

Having volunteered in a remote Village in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana with Platform2 I worry for the children that I have seen affected directly by Malaria in the small community of Kasapin. Malaria affects the future of children in developing countries, who have little or no access to mosquito nets, causing not only deaths in children but causing the education of those most vunerable to suffer.




The digital-youth of today are the makers of tomorrow, outh culture has become some what diverse and takes on many shapes within todays ever evolving and changing society. Without a youth movement within politics and society then important and lasting messages will be lost. In order for change the young need to interact with their government and peers on global issues. Web 2.0 - the Digital Age provides an accessbile and free platform for youth culture and advocacy of global issues to occur, tweeting, blogging and the infamous Facebook: it all counts, it’s all making noise. A conglomerate of youth and standing up for the future.

Social media platforms and lo-fi production of promotional material are very important in today’s techno-savvy and topically indebted youth. Mass media coporations and production agencies have all the time and money in the world to gloablize brands and televise reality shows, but give what seems little time to global issues- this is then left to NGO’s and activists to fight that corner. The sheer volume of The Mass Media affect draws on the worrying potential that a high proportion of the westernised world are slowly loosing our humanity and the power to make change.

Young people feel that change is hard to come by, we need to understand that we have been led blindly by governments, corrupt politicians and people in high places that take liberties of the weak and vunerable. We need to form strong social bonds both on and offline and use the tools that we have available to us- free social spaces, art funds and of course social media.

Fight injustice and use social media to better the world.



Related posts:

Eradicating Malaria
Farming in Kasapin

Useful links:

New mosquito type raises concern
Malaria No More UK
DFiD - Millenium Development Goals