Before we visited India a couple of years ago, my friend and I loaded up on various vaccines and meds, including a supply of Malarone, a prescription that is supposed to prevent malaria. I don’t remember the exact costs of all the shots and pills we each received, but I do remember that it wasn’t cheap. Several hundred dollars, I think it was. And we were warned that the medicine wasn’t a guarantee — we should still use mosquito repellent and guard against being bitten. Which we did.

And I got bitten anyway. In a rather posh Agra hotel room. Right on the face, while I was sleeping, with all the windows closed.

And I remember sort of shaking my head and almost laughing — if we couldn’t manage to avoid being bitten (I did not end up with malaria — or anything else — I’m grateful to say), what chance of prevention was there for the throngs of people we’d seen living and sleeping in open tents?

Well, it turns out that a simple mosquito net over the bed probably would have done the trick for me that night in Agra, and it’s all that’s needed to prevent the vast majority of malaria cases.

Malaria kills more than 3000 children every day. That’s one child every 30 seconds. Between 350 to 500 million cases of malaria occur annually worldwide, with some 90% of those occurring in Africa.

There’s a group called Malaria No More that is determined to end malaria deaths. A non-profit, non-governmental organization, Malaria No More makes high-yield investments of time and capital to speed progress, unlock resources, mobilize new assets and spur the world toward reaching this goal.

An important part of Malaria No More’s efforts is providing long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets. And that’s where it’s easy for any of us to help.

A simple $10 donation provides a family with a bed net, and although $10 for a bed net may not sound like much, affording it is an impossibility for most people at risk of contracting malaria. Learn more by clicking on the video below.