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8/28/2019

Perseverance Pays Off

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by NCU Insider (August 2019)

This article was published by NCU Insider on 28 August 2019. NCU Insider is a monthly news digest for EHS&S employees in North America.

Tracey Malone, Senior Product Steward (NCU/R) recently traveled to Uganda and shared her story with NCU Insider.

Who would know that perseverance pays off? In June 2017, I traveled with eight other people to Uganda, Africa. We were working in coordination with a non-profit organization, Benjamin House, in the capital city of Kampala and surrounding areas. Benjamin House sponsors over 300 children and we were “feet on the ground” ministering to these children and their families. One of the challenges facing Uganda is malaria, the mosquito-borne disease caused by a parasite. Individuals with malaria often experience fever, chills, and flu-like symptoms. If left untreated, the disease may result in death. Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds across the planet - about 3,000 children every day! On average, malaria kills 42 children in Uganda every day. One way to combat malaria is to install bed-nets. Since many families are extremely poor, they cannot afford the nets.

It just so happened, after being home almost a year from my first trip to Uganda, BASF published an article in the Online Reporter entitled “ZERO by 40,” in which Saori Dubourg, Member of the Board BASF SE, attended a malaria summit in London. I discovered that BASF manufactures and distributes Inceptor® long-lasting, insecticide treated bed-nets. In fact, BASF delivered over 900 million bed-nets between 2008 and 2014.

After reading the article, I was on the hunt to see if BASF would donate nets to Benjamin House. If anyone knows me, I tend to be persistent on getting things accomplished, so I reached out to anyone and everyone for help.

Jodi Visco, Manager of Product Stewardship and Applied Sustainability (NCU/R), put me in contact with several colleagues. After hitting a few dead ends, we finally found the right person in the AP business. Steve Brunt, NA APN Product Stewardship Manager, introduced me to Dr. Susanne Stutz, BASF Professional and Specialty Solutions, Public Health in Germany. She, in turn, had a colleague, Dr. James Austin, Global Product Development Manager, Insecticides, in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, who had 50 nets. Dr. Austin shipped the nets to me, and I provided them to several families in Nangabo, Uganda, this past July. What a blessing to be able to give these nets to the community! I am extremely proud to say I work for a company that can a make a difference in the world!