Most impressive is the new ability for donors to donate $5 by texting “Give” to “2Help” on any AT&T, Alltel, Sprint, T-Mobile USA or Verizon Wireless phone. While donating online or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS are still options, texting a small $5 donation is a quick and easy way to give on the fly. The $5 are automatically deducted from your monthly wireless bill. (Normal texting rates apply, because those never go away.)

What’s also been exciting is the involvement of both political campaigns in putting politics aside and generating small donations. Barack Obama’s campaign sent a message to its supporters on the 1st of September:

Today, the thoughts and prayers of all Americans are with those in the path of Hurricane Gustav — and many of you are asking what you can do to help.

[...] Your financial support will strengthen organizations like the American Red Cross that are evacuating Gulf Coast residents and planning to help communities get back on their feet.

John McCain’s website features an Organizations page linking supporters to relief organizations that are helping each state. Laura Bush and Cindy McCain also devoted significant time during the first night of the RNC convention to appeal for donations to those affected by recent disasters.

These campaigns are just an example of the many organizations and groups across the country that have rallied to help their fellow Americans through small donations to the Red Cross. This new wave of fundraising will be even more critical as the Red Cross attempts to strengthen its Disaster Relief Fund; both small and large donations help to provide supplies to those in need.

And, with about three months to go in hurricane season, it is crucial that funds are made available for disasters in the near and distant future through the Disaster Relief Fund.

Establishment of the Fight Against Malaria
The article states that:

Major donors have focused on malaria since the creation in 2001 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which has paid for 106 million nets. President Bush in 2005 started the President’s Malaria Initiative, which has bought 6 million so far.

In addition to this, it’s also critical to mention that fighting malaria has also been facilitated by its predecessor, the Measles Initiative, which has been able to cut measles death rates in Africa by over 68 percent through “social mobilization”, or bringing vaccines to local communities through a partnership of the UN Foundation, UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization and local Red Cross societies in campaign countries.

The effective model of delivering bednets to local communities was started largely through this American Red Cross-led initiative. Also, the American Red Cross uses its International Services programs as a vehicle for delivering malaria bednets, as it did in July 2007 after cyclones in Madagascar.

Youth Involvement
The article also talks about individual youth doing outstanding projects – I was impressed by their efforts and commend Mr. McNeil for identifying them – but another part of the story is youth working with organizations as well. For example, Long Beach, Calif. youth organized a 3-on-3 basketball tournament as volunteers at the Greater Long Beach Chapter. There’s also a vital education piece where American Red Cross have the chance to become peer educators about malaria campaigns in Africa, as they did last year when the National Youth Institute featured a session where youth were told to hang up bednets with no instructions. This showed them that education campaigns in Africa about how to hang up the bednets are as vital as the nets themselves.

I am thankful that malaria fundraising is getting coverage – especially in the New York Times – but that a complete picture of youth and young adult efforts against malaria needs to account for the role that the American Red Cross plays, as a deliverer of vaccines and a place where American youth can learn about and contribute to fighting the bite.

Justin Lam
Washington, DC