April 15, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara swim teams will participate in the World Swim Against Malaria at 8 a.m. this Saturday, April 19 at the Recreation Center Pool it was announced recently by the coaching staff. The teams are swimming to raise money to be spent on mosquito nets for children around the world.

According to the World Swim Against Malaria website, one to three million people die each year from malaria and 70% of the victims are children under the age of five.

It costs just five dollars to purchase a long lasting insecticidal (mosquito) net, which is impregnated with insecticide that will last 4-5 years. These nets work as a barrier against malaria-carrying mosquitoes and kill mosquitoes on contact. For every $100 raised, 20 nets will end up over heads and beds and save one child's life.

The Gauchos have already raised over $3,000 for the cause and are still hoping to get more support from friends, family, and the community. UCSB is scheduled to swim over 5,000 yards on Saturday in support of the cause.

World Swim Against Malaria 2008 is an initiative of the Against Malaria Foundation (AMF), a charity registered in the UK, US, Australia and a number of other countries. AMF launched and ran the first World Swim Against Malaria in December of 2005 and more than 250,000 people swam and fundraised.

To sponsor the Gauchos and for more information visit: World Swim Against Malaria