Students from Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga have embarked on a noble project. They launched their own campaign to fight against malaria. They named their project Tumai for Tomorrow. Tumai, which means “hope” in Swahili, is what these students aspire to provide people affected by malaria, raising funds to support lifesaving research that will one day eradicate the disease.

The students are hoping to raise $10,000 to support lifesaving research at the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health.

On Friday, I attended a gala dinner the students organized to raise funds for their project. There were more than 100 people in attendance made up of students, parents, teachers and friends. They had a speaker who grew up in Africa and had to endure malaria when she was younger. Her story was an eye-opener.

The sense of accomplishment and enthusiasm at the dinner was contagious and inspiring. Those students are clear examples of everyday Canadian heroes who work tirelessly to help others not expecting anything in return but a sense of satisfaction. They didn’t have worry about malaria and its patients, yet they did. We are fortunate here Canada where malaria is non-existent. But their sense of responsibility towards other human beings motivated them to do something about it. The funds they will raise will save lives.

Such initiatives fill me with pride and is a reminder to all of us that we can make a huge difference in the world if we set our mind to it.

Congratulations to the students who chose to make a difference. If you want to support those amazing students in their effort, you can donate here.