OBI to launch largest-ever anti-parasite campaign
At the June distribution, the first 1,000 people in line at each location received Albendazole, anti-parasite medication, and attended a preventative education class.
Operation Blessing International partnered with the World Health Organization to teach recipients the basics of parasite prevention through an illustrated flip chart and Spanish-speaking instructor.
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PERU - This month, Operation Blessing is preparing to launch their largest-ever anti-parasite campaign, distributing 2 million pills in one day to 2 million residents.
This is the second campaign of 2006 and comes on the heels of the record-breaking June 10 distribution, where Operation Blessing's "sPill the news" anti-parasite campaign distibuted one million pills in one day. An estimated 2,000 local churches and thousands of volunteers will participate in the November distribution.
Because of extreme poverty, poor sanitary conditions and lack of preventative education, intestinal parasites can be one of the primary causes of death worldwide, said Jordan Durso, OBI director for Peru. Parasites not only cause physical pain and bleeding, but they also consume 25 percent of a person’s food intake, causing malnutrition and other severe, chronic health problems.
In addition to the medical distribution, volunteers use educational materials and illustrated flipcharts provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) to teach recipients the basics of parasite prevention and good nutrition. Together, OBI and WHO are making plans to launch a long-range initiative and distribute two million Albendazole pills every six months for the next three years.
"Our vision is to continue to do national initiatives in Peru to make a real, lasting medical impact in the areas where they are most desperately needed," said Rich Danzeisen, director of international programs for Operation Blessing.
How You Can Help For just a dime a child, you can help OBI treat a million children a year and free them of intestinal parasites. Give a gift today toward OBI's medical programs and help us to not only fight, but win the war on worms. |
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