Congo is in the news again this week as rebels advanced to the outskirts of Goma, the eastern regional capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (the "Congo"), before unilaterally declaring a ceasefire and halting their advance.

Every thirty seconds, a child in Africa dies of Malaria. That means that by the time you've finished reading this announcement, two children will have died from a completely preventable disease. You have the power to help save lives. Simple ten-dollar bed nets can protect children's lives by keeping malaria-carrying mosquitoes out.

I've been working with a youth-driven nonprofit called Americans for Informed Democracy and we want YP4 fellows to raise awareness and funds to support the global fight against malaria. And we want you to film what you do. Our contest is called Buzz Cuts and it strives to harness the power of media and student creativity to save lives. Buzz Cuts is looking for your creative proposals for a "net-raising" event that will help raise money for the NothingButNets.nets campaign and build awareness about the global fight against malaria.

AID will send out video cameras and $500 mini-grants to the best campaign and film proposals. The films that are made will be distributed so that others can use your campaign strategies in their communities. Sign up now and start saving lives one film at a time.

Visit http://www.aidemocracy.org/buzzcuts to get started.

From the When not in Africa. . . blog.

April 25th, the first US Malaria Awareness Day. An award winning photographer, Chien-Chi Chang, traveled to Uganda to give image to the story that is very often never heard, to give a face to the people who are never seen. This is not just another award winning privileged person traveling to get pictures or a story because these images and story are accompanied by a call for action. The images were used to raise awareness and promote involvement with Malaria No More. This is an organization that is fueled by celebrity involvement and received great attention from American Idol, but this is an issue and conflict that does not require you to be a celebrity to make a difference. Everyone is a celebrity in their own right.