Pharmacy Students Support Medicine for Mali

Students at Drake University College of Pharmacy and Health Services are providing care beyond the confines of Des Moines, Iowa.

The pharmacy students raised $4700 for Medicine for Mali, a nonprofit devoted to improving the lives of Malians through medical aid, education, public health, microfinance, and clean water.

Inspiration for the donation stemmed from a Drake pharmacy professor named John Rovers, PharmD, who has visited Mali several times. Last year, Rovers discovered a village needed a solar-powered refrigerator for vaccines.

The amount Drake students raised will cover the cost for the fridge and also be extended to help support the family of a public health official who recently died, according to a school press release.

Students helped raise funds via auctions and fraternity fundraisers, and 2 students developed and sold a Pocket Guide to Nonprescription Medicines for pharmacists and their fellow students to use when counseling patients, according to the school.

Medicine for Mali President Dave Merschman thanked the students for their generosity in a check presentation on May 8, 2015.

“It will make a huge difference in the lives of the people in the village,” Merschman said, according to a school press release. “Preventing disease is a lot easier than treating it.”