Today’s guest blogger is Olugu Ukpai. Olugu is a man on a mission: He is preventing the unnecessary death of people in his Nigerian community due to malaria and other illnesses by creating clean water, offering free medical care and through the immense power of education. I met Olugu through a joyful accident;  I had made an error in an article that I had written and Olugu was kind enough to email me to ask for a correction –  and that is where our friendship began. Please read on and do what you can to help. Know that a small amount of money will help those supported by the work of CHAMA. Please spread the word of this vital work by sharing this posting. If you want to make a donation through your work, spiritual community or even host a fundraiser, please do reach out. Many heartfelt thanks!

I would like to use this opportunity to introduce you to CHAMA (Challenge AIDS and Malaria in Africa). This is a  charitable organization starting up in Metro Halifax, Canada (since 2006), with an emphasis on helping those who suffer with malaria in and AIDS in Africa. CHAMA was founded following the loss of my little twin girl, “Goodness” to malaria on the 20^th of March 2006 in Africa while taking my graduate program at Dalhousie University.

Malaria is number one killer in sub-Sahara Africa. Every three seconds, a child dies of malaria which accounts for almost half of the 9.2 million deaths among children under five annually. Malaria is a poverty disease. It is preventable, treatable and curable. All that is needed is a functional health care system. Factors contributing to high risk of malaria infection are lack of functional health care system and education, lack of clean drinking water, and poverty. Most rural dwellers are unable to afford $1.00 to procure local malaria medications and risk death.

Like malaria, HIV/AIDS is ravaging children and the youth. Out of 6.1 million infected HIV/AIDS population in Nigeria (in 2008), 3 million were children under the age of 15 and further 10 million of whom were youths between the ages of 15 and 24. Factors contributing to this include a lack of information about sexual health and HIV.

CHAMA’s goal is to reduce the number of illnesses and deaths associated with malaria and AIDS by fundraising to drill wells for clean drinking water, provide treated mosquito netting and repellants, food, shelter, school supplies, spiritual needs, health education, medical treatment and lots of love for small communities in Africa that might never see these necessary, life given interventions by under taking a bi-annual mission trips to Africa with volunteer medical doctors, nurses and other health care providers. Our medications are donated by pharmaceutical companies, corporate organizations, and hospitals across the globe and individuals like you.

Help a child stay in school: $20 buys school supplies for one elementary school student for one academic term. There are three academic terms in a year. $40 buys school supplies for one secondary school student per academic term. (There are three academic terms in a year.)

Help provide malaria medication for a child and stop the preventable death: $5 buys malaria medications for a child. Clinical statistics shows that a child suffers malaria at least three times in a year in average. $10 buys one mosquito net for one child.

Help provide clean drinking water for a rural community: $2,500 builds a community over head water storage tank.  $8,000 builds village water well (with a match from our partners.)

Volunteer Opportunities: Volunteer as a medical doctor, nurse, student, teacher to teach English or missionary to provide spiritual needs. We will appreciate your help to reach out to those in need in our bi-annual medical outreach. Contact chama.org@gmail.com on you how you can volunteer. Visit CHAMA to learn more!

About the Author: Olugu Ukpai is a PhD Law Student at the University of Reading, UK. He is an activist and a feminist legal scholar actively involved in grassroots and national campaigns against women and children oppressions, negligence and violence. He is internationally known for his campaigns against malaria, HIV/AIDS and the prevention of Female Genital Cutting among Black women and migrants.

He is the Executive Director/CEO of Challenge AIDS and Malaria in Africa (CHAMA), a registered non-for profit organization providing free medical care, clean drinking water, health education, school supplies and food to poverty stricken children of Africa. To provide legal solace to the poor and highly marginalized and discriminated group in our society, he founded Women’s Legal Empowerment and Social Accountability (WOLESA), an NGO committed to providing legal empowerment and social services to victims of violence in Africa. He has authored two books, presented numerous papers at academic conferences and published articles in peer review Journals.

His activism and academic excellence has earned him a long list of laurels. A first class awardee and recipient of West African Research Association (WARA) Fellowship (2011), he holds University of Reading’s scholarship (2009-2013) and Commonwealth Scholarship (2005-7). In 2010, he received the Xn Foundation Prize for “Outstanding Achievement and Excellence” from UK and “Global Citizen Award” from Canada for his humanitarian services.