Kristen Kenney, a Malaria Griot graduate and founder/CEO of Malaika For Life, shares her personal experiences with malaria and what she's doing to help combat the disease today!

It has been a little over a year since I was in a hospital bed in Bukoba (Tanzania) with malaria. Now, I look back at the images and wonder how I ever made it. My experience with malaria was real and raw –summed up by a 6-hour bus ride, four days on an IV, and hospitalized in a foreign facility with minimal equipment. I remember the doubt that started to pour in as I waited hours for the lifesaving medication.

A year later, I’m recovered yet reminded of my experience as I try to help end malaria. This past year, I’ve focused on raising awareness about the disease – by bringing back a little piece of Tanzania – a bracelet.

This bracelet is called Malaika – which means angel in Swahili. Handmade by the women of the region, it’s a symbol of African heritage and a reminder that it doesn’t take much to make a difference and be someone’s angel. I am thankful to see friends, family and communities all come together in an effort to fight this disease.

Most recently, my alma mater, the University of Miami, jumped on board. For every goal scored, the women’s soccer team donated $10 and tossed a bracelet into the stands with the message : one bracelet can save a life from malaria. The girls raised a total of $1,780. Go Canes!

I even tapped into the fashion realm. Jodi Arnold, a fashion designer in NYC, hosted “A Celebration of Giving” at her Manhattan boutique to help raise funds for malaria fight. Her store sold 150 bracelets that day, and she still has some on display.

Throughout the last year I have realized that a small amount can help change someone's life. Whether it’s a $10 bracelet or a $10 donation, it doesn’t take a lot to protect a child from malaria.  Join me in helping make malaria no more.