Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted through mosquito bites that kills one million people every year.  Fairchild had the opportunity to learn about the disease and its effects during a two-week mission trip to Uganda in 2008.  Following her experiences there, Fairchild founded Operation Net and began a year-long fundraising initiative with the goal of raising enough money to send 1,000 mosquito nets to the people of Uganda. Mosquito nets play a very important role in controlling the disease. She surpassed that goal in just six months and raised $20,000, sending 2,000 nets to help prevent the spread of malaria.  Now she is expanding these efforts to include Haiti.

"Part of me is very encouraged, very joyful and happy to look back at the past two years.  I'm happy it's grown," says Fairchild.  "Another part of me is still very consumed with the problem." The problem is that more than one million people die every year from this very preventable and treatable disease.

"Every 30 seconds someone dies from malaria and most of these deaths are children," says Fairchild. "We are trying to raise money to buy mosquito nets through Operation Net, which only cost $10 each."  Fairchild has started a group at Eastern University for Operation Net and participated with 30 others in a nation-wide "sleep out" to raise awareness about malaria.  The group slept outside at the University of Pennsylvania for those who have to sleep out every night with mosquitoes that might carry the disease. 

For more information on Operation Net or to make a donation, visit www.operationnet.org

To learn more about the Eastern University Undergraduate Business Economic Development Major, visit  http://eastern.edu/academic/cas/depts/business/index.html