Mosquito nets saving lives
(Updated: Thursday, November 1, 2007 9:44 AM PDT)
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| Aliyah Levin with children in Zambia after receiving their mosquito nets. |
Mosquitoes are not just pesky annoyances, they can also be lethal bugs. One Manhattan Beach resident hopes her documentary will expose their deadly impact in less developed countries.
Aliyah Levin got the bug of giving and wants to spread it among the more affluent to combat its rival - apathy. “The problem of malaria is not too big to be solved,” said Levin. “People may be desensitized to the problems in Africa after seeing Sally Struthers and the starving children, but we can do this right now Š The nets save lives.”
Levin, the international director of Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, recently spent four weeks in Zambia, observing and filming the distribution of 1,400 mosquito nets with her crew of one, Ed Lyman, the videographer. The two decided documenting the Rotary-funded event with video footage would be the most effective way to relay the need for something so simple as nets.
Malaria, transported by mosquitoes, infects up to 500 million people worldwide every year and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that more than 1 million people die from malaria each year. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa.
The most lethal strain of malaria is carried by the nocturnal anopheles mosquito and the most susceptible victims are sleeping children. Malaria's mortality rate within Africa rivals that of AIDS, according to Levin.
The bed nets are pesticide-treated and one $10 net can cover three people sleeping. The Watts/Willowbrook Rotary Club started the StopTheBite campaign and raised $14,000 for the nets with partial donations made by the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club and Rotary Club International. Another Rotary Club in Lusaka, Zambia, joined forces with members from the Watts/Willowbrook, Manhattan Beach and Lawndale clubs to distribute the nets.
Lyman and Levin backpacked through Zambia, filming and observing the results of the campaign. “The Zambians are the friendliest culture I've ever seen in my life. They are living with malaria, AIDS, drinking dirty water, yet they are so optimistic,” said Lyman. “I hope to express that optimism and hope.”
The next step for Levin and Lyman with all of their footage from their four-week net tour is to educate, inform and to create awareness of the malaria problem. Levin hopes this awareness will impact others as it did her. “I feel that with great privilege comes great responsibility,” said Levin. “There is a great contrast between Manhattan Beach, Watts and Zambia; but the unifying factor is the optimism and hope Š One net does make a difference.”
The filming resulted in two projects for the crew, a 20-minute educational short and a documentary film, “The Devil's Cataract.” Lyman said the title is borrowed from the waterfall they saw in Zambia, which happens to be the world's largest sheet of falling water, one mile wide.
Levin said all proceeds from the documentary, such as DVD sales and speaking engagements, will go to the StopTheBite malaria project. The campaign now has an established Web site and seeks donations. Those who are interested may visit the site at www.stopthebite.org.