Documentary helps fight malaria

United Methodist Communications
Office of Public Information
www.umcpresscenter.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21,2011

Nashville, Tenn.:Imagine No Malaria, a ministry of The United Methodist Church, has produced a documentary to increase awareness and action against malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 45 seconds.

The one-hour long television special will air on NBC affiliate stations nationwide beginning Sunday, May 1st. "A Killer in the Dark: An Extraordinary Effort to Combat Malaria" conveys a powerful message that highlights the remarkable community-based efforts underway to fight malaria.

Hosted by actress Pauley Perrette, the program chronicles two mothers, one in the midwestern U.S., one in Africa. Both tuck their children into bed each night, both awake to two very different missions with one common goal: to wipe out this devastating disease.

"'A Killer in the Dark' illustrates how Imagine No Malaria is truly a mission to heal the sick and help those in need, empowering the people of Africa to achieve a sustainable victory over the disease," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "We know malaria is preventable-and we know the more people know about the needless suffering it causes, the more passionately they get involved."

Much of the project was filmed on location in Africa, in the countries of Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone; all places where malaria accounts for a vast majority of child mortality. "A Killer in the Dark" documents malaria's impact on lives, its history and how the Imagine No Malaria campaign is creating a global movement to end deaths from the disease.

Interested viewers are encouraged to contact local affiliates to encourage the broadcast of this global health documentary.

Imagine the entire population of a city even larger than San Francisco wiped out every single year. What would the response be like? "You don't have to be a forensics expert to see the evidence," says Perrette, who plays Abby Sciuto on the hit drama NCIS. "It's time for the killing to stop."

"A Killer in the Dark" is presented by the National Council of Churches USA and was produced byUnited Methodist Communications as part of its Imagine No Malaria initiative.


About Imagine No Malaria
Imagine No Malaria is an extraordinary ministry of the people of The United Methodist Church to eliminate death and suffering from malaria in Africa by 2015. With a goal of raising $75 million to improve health infrastructure and empower a sustainable victory over the disease, Imagine No Malaria is our opportunity to rethink how we reach beyond our church, opening doors to those who need it most. For more information, please visit us online at www.ImagineNoMalaria.org.

Media contact:
Diane Degnan
[email protected]
615-742-5406 (w)
615-483-1765 (c)