A Soap That Helps Prevent Malaria
─Debbie Rinehart

SOMETIMES the efforts of just a few individuals can make a huge difference in the world. Recently, two African students, Moctar Dembele and Gerard Niyondiko, introduced their creation Fasoap. This soap made from natural herbs leaves a scent that repels mosquitoes, thus helping prevent malaria, according to the soap's inventors. In addition, the waste water containing substances from the soap can prevent the development of mosquito larvae. Dembele and Niyondiko presented Fasoap at the Global Social Venture Competition, which gives youths an opportunity to turn their ideas into reality. The pair beat out 650 competitors from 40 countries.

Malaria is a serious threat to millions of people. It leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths every year, mainly in the world's poorest countries. In fact, around 90 percent of malaria-related deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and it frequently affects children under the age of five.

Many people living in poor countries cannot afford to buy medicine to treat the disease or even repellent or mosquito nets to prevent it. Dembele and Niyondiko hope that Fasoap can be widely available by 2015 for free or for a small cost.

預防瘧疾的肥皂

有時候只要幾個人的努力就可以對世界產生重大影響。最近，有兩名非洲學生墨克塔．登貝萊和傑拉德．尼庸迪寇介紹了他們的發明──「法索肥皂」（Fasoap）。根據肥皂發明人表示，這種由天然草藥製成的肥皂會留下一種能驅趕蚊子的氣味，因此可幫助預防瘧疾。而且，含有這種肥皂物質的廢水可以防止蚊子幼蟲的發育。登貝萊和尼庸迪寇在全球社會企業創業大賽中展示了法索肥皂，這項比賽提供年輕人將他們的構想變成現實的機會。這兩人打敗了來自四十個國家的六百五十名競爭對手。
瘧疾對數百萬人構成嚴重的威脅，每年造成數十萬人死亡，主要是在世界上最貧窮的國家。事實上，大約百分之九十與瘧疾相關的死亡案例發生在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲地區，且經常影響五歲以下的孩童。
許多住在貧窮國家的人買不起藥品來治療疾病，甚至買不起驅蟲劑或蚊帳來預防疾病。登貝萊和尼庸迪寇希望法索肥皂到二○一五年時可以免費或以低廉的價格普遍供人使用。

2015/01/28(三)