A Pinellas County fourth-grader is using her gift to touch the lives of others far away.

Nine-year-old Hannah Arthur has a passion to help others that just comes naturally.

Through her art, the Lakeview Fundamental student is protecting kids in Ethiopia from a disease that kills 200,000 kids in Africa every year.

"I love the people there," Hannah said. "I heard that every 45 seconds a child dies from Malaria, and I counted 45 seconds and I knew that a child had just died."

So Hannah decided it was time to save some lives.

She created a number of pastel drawings and sold her art during a show at her house. Friends, family, and teachers all helped pay for mosquito nets that Hannah hand delivered to her friends in Ethiopia.

"I have some friends there and it kind of hurt me that they might be, like, endangered by the mosquitoes," Hannah said.

Hannah’s parents are anthropologists, and they have to travel to Ethiopia about once a year, so Hannah had been there before.

Her effort turned into a school project that blew her teachers away. She was also honored by the Pinellas School Board at Tuesday’s meeting.

"Ot just comes naturally," teacher Beth Griffin said. "As you speak to her, she doesn’t know why she wants to help people. She just has that in her."

Hannah’s future is still a blank canvas, but when that picture is complete, it’s safe to say this girl will have touched some lives along her journey.

"I just feel very comfortable when I’m doing that," she said.

Hannah raised about $300 during her art show.

She is currently working on another project that will help build a school.