One 11-year-old’s fight to end malaria to give her generation a future
When she was small Ibuidin fell sick with malaria - as a result, her mother lost her job caring for her. Now she’s determined to end this disease for good.
Ibuidin, aged 11, Nigeria
The effect malaria has on children The symptoms include hot and cold sweats, fear, pain, missed school days, long hospital visits, and a difficult journey for parents trying to keep their jobs while taking care of their sick child.
Living in Nigeria - the country with the highest malaria burden in the world - she decided to use her voice and knowledge to protect her and future generations from this deadly disease.
Due to her own experience battling malaria, Ibuidin is standing up to this disease in hopes that one day soon, it will no longer take the life of a child every two minutes - stealing the futures of so many.
"I didn’t feel alive. It made me feel as if i’m dead. I looked white. Sometimes white, sometimes yellow."
When the malaria symptoms hit, Ibuidun’s mother didn’t know what to do. She tried self-medication, homemade remedies and taking Ibuidin to hospital.
"When I had malaria, I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t walk alone, I couldn’t go to school. I left school for over a month because I couldn’t do anything."
Ibuidin ended up missing weeks of school and her mother lost her job because of the time needed to take care of her.
Eventually Ibuidin was taken to hospital and after several visits, she was finally diagnosed with malaria. By the time the diagnosis came she was weak, tired and drained.
Once Ibuidin had recovered she wanted to use her voice to end malaria for good. By joining the Zero Malaria movement she is speaking up so no child will have their life cut short by this treatable and preventable disease.
In a world without malaria, she believes children like her will have more opportunities to achieve their goals. They will no longer live in fear of falling sick with malaria.
"A world with no malaria would be very good. It will decrease the rate of death in Nigeria, it will really decrease it."
In the future Ibuidun has dreams of fighting malaria as a doctor, but for now she wants to use her voice as part of the Zero Malaria movement along with thousands of others across Africa.
Ibuidin knows hers is the generation that will end malaria. Join her by drawing the line against malaria.
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