April 24, 2008

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara swim teams earned $4,321 through their participation in the World Swim Against Malaria last Saturday, April 19. The teams swam over 5,000 yards to help raise money to be spent on mosquito nets for children around the world and out of 455 registered "top level" swims, the Gauchos' ranked 12th for donations earned.

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.

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.

For more information visit: World Swim Against Malaria