Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes, is an endemic disease that puts nearly half of the world’s population at risk.
Preventing the spread of malaria is something that is personal to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health employee Idriss Mariam Adoum. A cardiac monitor technician on the centralized monitoring unit at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital and a nursing student, she grew up in the country of Chad where malaria affected her and her family each year. Adoum has lost three siblings due to the disease. (According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, Africa was home to 95 percent of malaria cases and 96 percent of malaria deaths; 80 percent of those deaths were in children under age 5.)
To combat the spread of the malaria, Adoum recently founded a non-profit called “Mariam Against Malaria” which supplies families in Chad with mosquito nets.
Idriss Mariam Adoum (in black headscarf) used a CAREs Grant to buy mosquito nets for families in her homeland of Chad.
“Stopping mosquitos is the simplest and most effective strategy in preventing the spread of malaria,” said Adoum.
To help fund her new organization, Adoum applied for and received a $500 Penn Medicine CAREs grant in the winter of 2022. The Penn Medicine CAREs Grant program was established to offer institutional support to nonprofits in the form of grants that can be used to perform important work in our community and around the world.
“Especially with my organization being new, there were not many opportunities to receive grants and funding. With this Penn CAREs grant, 300 to 600 people will be helped because one mosquito net costs $3 to $5 – and mosquito nets are not just for one person, they can protect up to three adults and five children,” Adoum noted.
Penn Medicine CAREs grants are available to all Penn Medicine employees who apply on behalf of a non-profit for which they volunteer. Applications are always open and are awarded quarterly to a variety of programs spearheaded or supported by Penn Medicine faculty, staff, students, and trainees.
To learn more about the Penn Medicine CAREs Grant Program, visit PennMedicine.org/Community.