Faith in Mosquito Nets!

Faith is ten.  He lives in a village in Kenya.  The name his mother chose for him is significant.  Some of her children had been still-born and others had lived for only a few hours.  She prayed earnestly that this baby would survive.

His mother’s prayer was answered.  Faith lived.  But he did not entirely escape the disease that killed the others. 

He has learning difficulties which can be attributed to his mother’s illness with malaria during pregnancy.  As a result his speech is poor.  It’s not easy for anyone to make out what Faith is saying.

And as well as sufferieng the long-term consequences of his mother’s illness, Faith has frequently experienced malarial symptoms himself

But since Faith’s  family have been provided with a mosquito net, his health has improved.  The fevers, vomiting and diarrhoea have stopped, and the growing boy has become more regular in his attendance at school.

The gift of a mosquito net has changed his mother’s outlook too.  Seeing the health benefits for her surviving children of sleeping under a net has convinced her of its value and of the importance of medical care.

Now she tells Faith’s story to anyone who will listen and is teaching other women in the village the importance of protection against insect bites.