The mosquito nets- just distributed in Liberia to help fight Malaria, are currently on sale by some Liberians for survival. The nets are seen on sale in the two main commercial districts- Redlight and Waterside in Paynesville and Central Monrovia, as well as other cities across Liberia.
Diverting the use of the mosquito nets may be attributed to the high cost of living in the country, as an average Liberian family finds it difficult to find daily meal. Many parents are unemployed and cannot afford to send their children to school; therefore, marketing whatever that is worth buying to sell for their upkeep.
The mosquito nets were distributed free of charge since Saturday, April 25, 2015, to coincide with World Malaria Day proclaimed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as a working holiday throughout Liberia. According to the Proclamation, The 8th World Malaria Day was celebrated under the global theme: “Invest In The Future, Defeat Malaria,” with the local slogan “No Mosquito, No Malaria.” A consignment of at least 2.8 million mosquito nets was recently brought into the country by the Ministry of Health for distribution to households across the 15 political subdivisions.
The consignment of long-lasting insecticide treated mosquito nets (LLINs), donated by the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Liberia, is the single largest of LLINs since the start of the Global Fund Project in Liberia in 2005. Martha Wesseh- a resident of Paynesville, also bought a piece of the net from a local vendor atL$25.00. “I am buying this for me to scrub my children skins when bathing them; even me, I love to use it to bath because it can clean the dirt from my skin good. I never got any of the mosquito nets from anyone, and if I had gotten some, I wouldn’t have even bought this one, because I was going to just cut one of my own for taking our bath and washing our dishes,” Martha noted.
One of the vendors- identified as Big Boy Prince, told this paper yesterday that he was selling the nets because he had no use for it. “I am living in one room, and the people gave two nets free; I don’t have a baby. I don’t have a wife or bed to cover with the nets- my mattress is on the floor and the net is too small to cover it, so what should I do with it- nothing, but to sell it any amount I wish because the thing is free of charge I got it.” he noted.
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