A WEST Devon mother, whose son contracted cerebral malaria while working in Zimbabwe, is sponsoring a child in the country as a thank you to those who helped save his life. Jon Provan, aged 29 from Tavistock, became ill while working as a travel guide in southern Africa at the end of last year. He survived after a local woman recognised his symptoms and insisted on taking him to a clinic in Victoria Falls. His mother Debbie said: 'He thought he might have had a cold or flu but his condition continued to deteriorate and a Zimbabwean woman spotted that his symptoms seemed to point towards malaria. 'She was so worried by his condition that she insisted on taking him to the local clinic. That is all Jon remembers until he awoke three or four days later in a hospital in Johannesburg.' Debbie, a child protection officer from Tavistock, now sponsors 10-year-old Brenda with global children's charity Plan UK. 'Thanks to his friend in Victoria Falls and to the expertise of medical staff, he has recovered almost fully,' said Debbie: 'If I do get the chance one day, I would love to meet the woman who saved my son's life. In the meantime, I hope that by supporting a child through Plan UK's projects in Zimbabwe, I may be going some small way towards repaying an unrepayable debt.' Jon had travelled extensively through southern Africa previously, but began to feel unwell in October last year after crossing the border from Mozambique. After being treated in Zimbabwe, he was flown to hospital in South Africa, where he remained in intensive care for five days, during which time he underwent kidney dialysis and suffered several seizures. But thanks to doctors, he was able to fly home two weeks later and plans to return to work later in the year. Debbie added: 'We know how lucky we are. Jon was healthy to start with and he received medical attention promptly but many African children have neither of these advantages. This is why I was so pleased to hear that Plan UK's projects in Zimbabwe include the provision of mosquito nets — such a small and inexpensive thing to do but with such potential to save others from this dreadful disease. 'We are so thankful that our son is alive and well and conscious that countless other parents sadly have to deal with the unimaginable heartbreak when they are not so lucky.' Jon said that if the Zimbabwean woman hadn't recognised his symptoms, there would have been a good chance that he would no longer be alive. 'It is a tragedy that something that is so preventable is affecting so many people. It's a disease of poverty, because these people have so little and it thrives in these conditions. That's why mosquito nets are so important.' Money donated to Plan UK through sponsorship benefits whole families and communities, rather than individual children. A donation of £15 a month helps to provide clean water, healthcare and education in communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Sponsors receive regular updates and photographs from their sponsored child and keep in touch by writing letters back. Plan UK has 90,000 sponsors in the UK, generating £24-million a year and sponsors one-million children world-wide. l For more information on sponsoring a child with Plan call 0300 7779777 or visit http://www.plan-uk.org">www.plan-uk.org, quoting reference MGMVT2.