One Blood Expedition

One Blood Initiative

One Blood Initiative (OBI) is a U.S. non-profit 501 (c) 3 status pending company that was formed in 2009. OBI was formed to establish relationships and bring about cohesion with community leaders, governments, businesses and media outlets in Africa and other third world countries. OBI will also help facilitate strategies for malaria education, prevention and eventual eradication by mobilizing local resources.  This will be done using a holistic and transformational approach focusing on the entire range of human need.

OBI wants to be as efficient and effective as possible making every dollar count, and finding the most pressing needs regarding malaria. We are doing this by partnering with like- minded non-profit and for profit organizations. In our initial malaria awareness and fund raising campaign we have teamed up with the March of Washingtons as our charity of choice.

Like most people Branndon Bargo had known about malaria but never thought much about it. Then in 2006 things changed.  He was given a book on science and one of the topics was malaria. He learned how the United States, Europe and the Caribbean at one point had malaria until it was eventually eradicated using insecticides and better drugs. Many other countries, such as those in Africa, never got the chance to really try to eliminate the disease. He thought something needed to be done. Africans and others killed by malaria should not have to suffer if it is possible to prevent the disease. Amazingly, weeks later he was invited to go to Africa. He spent 4 months in Uganda and Rwanda. He was able to spend time interviewing the leading doctors, scientists and politicians about the issues of malaria. In his research he observed that the local villagers were confused about the issues, the politicians, doctors and scientists had differing ideas about what should be done, and in the meantime people continued to die from malaria. He promised himself that he would return and do something about it.

One of the world's leading experts on global poverty, Jeffrey Sachs, has said that malaria is the leading cause of poverty in Africa. According to the United Nations website, "The Millenium Project was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millenium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people." Of the eight millennium goals established to eliminate global poverty six of the goals would be achieved if malaria is eradicated. Malaria is a preventable and curable disease and is on the precipice of being erased from the globe. Many experts say it cannot be done. The reason stated is that the infrastructure and stability of government does not exist in third world countries.

We started the One Blood Initiative in 2009 because we believe eradication is possible if local communities and community leaders are brought into the decision making process. We do not want to raise money and then try to force it down the pipeline without having talked to the local leaders to see where it could best be used. We have begun to meet with strategic local leaders that have thousands of people ready to follow their lead. With these leaders in place we are beginning the education, training, and facilitating process.

To this day smallpox is the only human infectious disease to have been completely eradicated. Let's be a part of history by making history of malaria and witnessing the second disease eradicated in our lifetime. We are calling on all people from all walks of life, all religions, all countries, even all socio economic backgrounds such as prison inmates, homeless people, young children, college students, and business professionals to be a part of one of the most amazing movements of our time. Small pox was eliminated with the discovery of a vaccine. Malaria is a much more sinister disease, and producing a vaccine has been nearly impossible. What is needed this time around is the help of communities from around the world becoming educated on the disease, and knowing that with their help it can be eradicated.

How you can help: