Janet Aquah's Story

"I have lost two children to malaria—they were six and four. They died in my arms. I can have no peace of mind. I am afraid for my children." - Janet Aquah, Ghana

Janet stands in the little kiosk she started with a loan from her local Credit with Education group. She has every reason to be proud. At her shop, she sells basic food items, treats, and household staples, such as cooking supplies, to neighbors in her West African village. She makes enough money to feed her small family, and has even set aside savings in case of emergencies. She and her two children no longer wonder if they will have enough to eat, or if they will have money to buy needed medicine. In her regular education sessions, Janet has learned how to keep her business growing and her children well-nourished and healthy.

But as Janet tells us her story, a problem becomes clear. Pointing to her 11-year-old son who is sitting quietly in the corner, she says, "This is Ray." She tightens the wrap that securely ties her one-year-old daughter, Jennifer, to her back and explains, "Ray is just getting over malaria. I took him to the doctor last week when I noticed that he was not playing with his friends and was feverish. He’s normally very active." Janet said that she learned at her Credit with Education group meetings that inactivity could be a sign of malaria.

"So I didn’t wait." At the clinic, the nurse gave her anti-malaria medicine. In her education sessions, Janet had learned that it was important to give Ray the entire course of medicine instead of stopping when he seemed to feel better. Then, just as she had learned to do in her class, Janet asked for an insecticide-treated net. "When our group learned how to prevent malaria, we learned about nets—especially the ones that kill mosquitoes. But the nurse said only pregnant women and women with children under the age of five could get one. I had left Jennifer at home and couldn’t prove that I qualified. I brought Jennifer with me when I went back the next day, but they were out." Janet swallowed hard. "I have lost two children to malaria—they were six and four. They died in my arms. I can have no peace of mind. I am afraid for my children."

It was easy to solve Janet's immediate problem by providing her with one of our own nets on the spot. But what about all the other families in rural villages who were trying to get nets?

Studies have shown that women like Janet who participate in our programs become knowledgeable about the disease, and have the money to buy the nets they need. Yet all too often there simply are no nets for sale in their villages. That’s why Freedom from Hunger created MicroBusiness for Health—to resolve this supply-and-demand problem both now and for the long term.

Your support of programs like MicroBusiness for Health—programs that help women protect their children—means so much, to the families we serve and to us at Freedom from Hunger. Make a gift in honor of all mothers who work tirelessly to bring food to the table and hope to the future.