FOOD AGAINST DISEASES CHALLENGE

FOOD AGAINST DISEASES is geared towards fighting malaria on multiple fronts: by providing education and proper use of malaria bed nets, proper use of window and door nets, education and understanding of re-treatment of nets, acute and complete treatment of patients, distribution of cheap homeopathic anti-malaria prophylactics, collection of vital statistics and forming a comprehensive database for other researchers.
The most important element is to develop a homeopathic anti malaria antidote.
A planned onslaught for the development of such an antidote will be conducted soon (see document Malaria Antidote).

MOSQUITO BED, DOOR & WINDOW NETS
Although mosquito bed nets prove effective against mosquitoes, it is found that people still contract malaria while in their domain area. We further educate about the use of door and window nets and also advocate the combined use of preventative use of prophylactics.
Re-treatment of these nets is also an important factor and many communities fail to address this issue, or cannot do so for lack of renewed supply. Statistics obtained through PSI projects in Tanzania (the highest users of nets in Africa) observed that only 1% of rural people use or are aware of nets as opposed to urban use at 46%).
Because of the heavy demand on Aid agencies, some of these agencies may only see these communities every two to three years, by which time these nets are completely ineffective. Vital data and statistics are also lost. These are the key issues the FOOD AGAINST DISEASES wants to redress.

Over the next few years, the FOOD AGAINST DISEASES aims at bridging that gap to every three to six months. In addition, the aim is to establish bush clinics within remote areas to address issues immediately.
FOOD AGAINST DISEASES will train community members in the following:

Record data
Treat nets
Take initiatives and responsibilities
Issue prophylactics timeously
Keep records of stock

FOOD AGAINST DISEASES aims to establish a net making manufacturing plant in South Africa to produce permanently treated nets as apposed to sachets of re-treatment formula (current biodegradable pyrethroid insecticide). Permanent treated nets might be more expensive to produce but the long-term costs will be more beneficial and cheaper.

FOOD AGAINST DISEASES also aims to get communities involved in the following:
Vector control (One example is to apply nets over small water-logged areas. Nets have been designed for this purpose and will work extremely well where one or two water sources are located near villagers).
Personal protection
Epidemic preparedness
Improve social standards
Promote re-treatment education (short-term)
Consolidate & extend insecticide treated nets programmes
Promote community based malaria prevention and treatment
Apply appropriate vector control (spraying and larvicding)

NEW IDEAS
FOOD AGAINST DISEASES is constantly devising new products. One such product is a cheap colour-coded collapsible basin for the re-treatment of mosquito nets. The basin is designed to eliminate the use of gloves, which is an added cost. The basin can be folded up after use and stored away in a safe place out of harms way.

A similar basin can be used for rain catchments (vital clean drinking water – although it is bland to drink, we demonstrate that by pouring from a height aerates the water) as well as water storage, which is another project we deal with. Photographs on the principle details of the basin are illustrated in one of Louie Greeff’s books, “The DIY 4x4 Guide to Africa”, which can be perused at the Royal Geographic Society in London.