Duke Students Join Global Fight to End Malaria

Duke Students Join Global Fight to End Malaria

by Carrie A. Clyne
Outstanding Student Leaders Journal (AIDemocracy.org)
January 22, 2007

In early November 2006, Duke students joined the fight to stop the spread of malaria. Led by freshman Georgia Hoyler, a group of students in Duke’s Global Health themed classes raised money for the Love Hallie Foundation and AIDemocracy’s Veto the ‘Squito campaign. A group of 30 student campaigners tabled in highly trafficked areas throughout campus and even walked along lines of fans at Duke’s basketball games, using the opportunities to inform them about malaria, hand out flyers, and ask for donations. They also raised funds by collaborating with various campus performance groups. Portions of or all profits made on the ticket sales to performances such as a capella, comedy, and dance were donated to the Duke Veto the ‘Squito team. As campaigner Priyanka Sista reflected, ‘it’s exciting that the student body has such a strong sense of social responsibility.’ Though most of their activities took place on campus, Hoyler and some of her peers spent Thanksgiving weekend outside a Durham grocery store with signs and brochures informing shoppers about the severity of Malaria. Many shoppers expressed a lack of previous knowledge and not only made contributions but also took the time to learn from the Duke Veto the Squito team. ‘Nevertheless, it’s reassuring to know that 90% of the money raised came from the pockets of more than 500 Duke students themselves,’ remarked Hoyler.The Duke team is planning to send the raised money in the form of bed nets to Muhuru Bay, a small fishing village on the shore of Lake Victoria, an area plagued by the highest infection rate of HIV and Malaria in Kenya. Duke students have a vested interest in Muhuru Bay, as it is also home to the Women’s Institute of Secondary Education and Research (WISER), a private non-profit all-girls boarding school, created by Professor Sherryl Broverman, Duke Health Inequalities Program fellow. ‘It just seemed like the right thing to do: fundraising for the purchase and distribution of bed nets allows us as Duke students to show our ongoing commitment to this community’ stated Frances Aunon, Veto campaigner and class of 2010.Duke students are continuing to come up with additional ways to raise awareness and funding for Veto the ‘Squito and other global health campaigns. Hoyler advices other students, though it seems like a daunting task, to get out there and spread awareness. She attributes the success of the team to its focus on spreading information and not just collecting donations. For the first two weeks of Dukes Veto the Squito initiative, the team focused on talking to people, with out a donation box in site. In the end the Veto the ‘Squito team ended up surpassing their original target, and raised a total of $4,592.95. Hoyler believes, ‘if you give people the information, nine out of ten times they will do the right thing.’