Celebrities Get 'Malarious' With CollegeHumor to Save Lives Matt Petronzio - Mashable.com
go to original August 21, 2012

CollegeHumor and Malaria No More have teamed up with more than 30 celebrities for one important cause: to end all malaria-related deaths in Africa by 2015.

That’s Malaria No More‘s main goal, and by making a small contribution to the non-profit, you can watch an online collection of 24 videos, dubbed Malarious, that features your favorite celebrities doing hysterical things on CollegeHumor. Nick Offerman recites a slam poem about bacon, Rainn Wilson debates the verity of “inspirational” Facebook statuses, Ellie Kemper tries her best to criticize puppies — and hilarity ensues.

The collection was filmed throughout the summer, and it launched Monday for World Mosquito Day, which spreads awareness about the state of malaria each year.

“CollegeHumor is known for making outrageous and funny videos, but this is the first time we’ve done something like this, and on this scale, exclusively for charity,” Sam Reich, president of original content at CollegeHumor Media, told Mashable. “We’ve only begun experimenting with pay models in the last year, and this was an opportunity for us to put all of our strengths to the test, and for a good cause.”

According to Malaria No More, the blood disease killed 655,000 people in 2010. The majority of those infected are children younger than five and 91% of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa. If drugs are not available, or the parasites that transmit malaria are resistant to them, the infection can lead to coma, life-threatening anemia and death.

Martin Edlund, chief marketing officer at Malaria No More, said that the non-profit’s team brainstormed for a collaborative project at the CollegeHumor offices a year ago. When he told Reich and co-founder Ricky Van Veen that a child dies from malaria every 60 seconds, they began riffing on all the ridiculous things people can do in one minute. That’s how Malarious came to be.

“Malaria No More is always looking for new and surprising ways to engage the public, and we’ve found that laughter is a great entry point to learning about this deadly, serious cause,” Edlund told Mashable. “We’re huge fans of CollegeHumor; they share our sense of experimentation, and they have hearts as big as their funny bones.”

With a minimum donation of $1, you can access the video collection by entering the amount you wish to donate and clicking “Buy” on the Malarious page. Each contribution will provide a child with a life-saving treatment for malaria.

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