“Squish the Mosquito” on World Malaria Day

April 17, 2012 - PRLog -- “Squish the Mosquito” on World Malaria Day
Free app raises awareness for children in developing countries

MARKHAM, ON (April 17) – Canadians looking forward to the upcoming camping season are willing to put up with a few mosquito bites if it means exploring the great outdoors. But a bite from these pesky insects can cause severe illness and even death in developing countries.

In honour of World Malaria Day on April 25, Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) is promoting, “Squish the Mosquito”, a free social media app developed by its ChildFund Alliance partner in Denmark to educate and engage the public on malaria.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that was responsible for about 655,000 deaths in 2010, according to the World Health Organization. Infected victims often display symptoms such as a high fever, chills, nausea, muscle pain, and convulsions.

The purpose of “Squish the Mosquito” is to squish mosquitos at a rapidly increasing pace to prevent them from biting a young girl, Elisa, and her family in Africa. The game is inspired by real-life situations where mosquitos are active (for example, when cooking at dusk or when Elisa is getting water from the pond).

”Mosquito nets are one way our organization can tangibly protect families in the developing world from this disease, but first, we have to get the general public to care,” says Mark Lukowski, CEO, CCFC. “That’s what ‘Squish the Mosquito’ aims to do.”

“Whether young or old, protecting ‘Elisa’ from mosquitoes brings home the importance of thinking outside of the comforts of our homes and perhaps into the lives of those who struggle with the risk of malaria every day.”

To download the app, visit www.squish-the-mosquito.com. To purchase two mosquito nets for $30 through CCFC’s gift catalogue, visit www.ccfcanada.ca/Gifts.

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For more than 50 years, Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC) has helped children and families of all faiths break the cycle of extreme poverty around the world  by helping them develop the skills and resources to overcome poverty and pursue justice.

CCFC is a member of ChildFund Alliance, a network of 12 child development organizations whose work encompasses over 15 million children and their families in more than 50 countries with a total revenue of more than $500 million (CAD).

For more information, visit www.ccfcanada.ca. To interview Mark Lukowski, please contact:

Melissa Wallace
Communications Officer
Christian Children’s Fund of Canada   
Toll-free: 1-800-263-5437 Ext. 220
Local: 905-754-1010 Ext. 220
mwallace@ccfcanada.ca

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Christian Children's Fund of Canada (CCFC) is a Canadian-based, registered charity and child-centred international development organization.