NetsforLife® Kickoff to World Malaria Day: Instilling a net culture, one community at a time
Apr 22, 2010
On April 25, 2010 the global community will reaffirm its commitment to effective malaria control by commemorating the third anniversary of World Malaria Day. In keeping with its goal NetsforLife® continues to work toward mobilizing over 30,000 volunteers and distributing up to 7 million long-lasting insecticide-treated nets in 17 malaria-endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa by 2013.
Counting down to World Malaria Day NetsforLife® in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), launched a net distribution campaign of 30,000 nets on April 15, 2010 while in Ghana the program is ramping up efforts to distribute over 1 million nets in the northern and eastern regions.
In DRC global leaders and local authorities gathered in Katanga province to launch a groundbreaking coalition of faith-based organizations—Confession Religieuse pour la Santé or “CORESA”—formed to promote the health and well-being of hard to reach communities in the DRC. South African singer, humanitarian and Malaria Ambassador Yvonne Chaka Chaka kicked off the net distribution that will continue over the course of the week.
Setting the stage for a national distribution, and providing an international example of intra-faith cooperation, CORESA is making history fighting malaria across a broad range of faith-driven missions. Robert Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development attended the event in support of the NetsforLife® Katanga Program. “This was history in the making” says Rob. He continues “CORESA is not just a triumph for the DR Congo, it is a win for the world -- as an example to follow, as hope that we can defeat disease, and as inspiration for collective action. NetsforLife® has been honored to provide leadership to this extraordinary example of partnership.”
Utilizing the NetsforLife® community based door-to-door distribution methodology and adhering to universal coverage strategy of 3 LLINs per household, CORESA is driving the DRC distribution. NetsforLife® supplied the nets that are being distributed in the Bongonga neighborhood of Lubumbashi. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a leader in forming the coalition is funding the 30,000 net distribution through the United Nations Foundation Nothing but Nets program.
In Accra, Ghana on April 26, 2010 NetsforLife® will participate in a Health Summit and World Malaria Day celebration. Malaria in Ghana is the number one cause of illness and is responsible for one-third of all deaths in children under five. Programmatically NetsforLife® and its partner Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Office (ADDRO) are focusing on community mobilization and education as they work towards door-to-door hang-up and distribution of 1 million nets—our largest ever net and education campaign.
True to the uniqueness of NetsforLife® and its partnerships, funding for the distribution comes from diverse sources: President’s Malaria Initiative/USAID, MalariaNoMore UK and Comic Relief. In partnership with the Ghana Health Service and its National Malaria Control Program the distribution, which targets some of the hardest to reach communities in Ghana, will begin in earnest in May with a launch that coincides with Child Health Days.
Between 2006-2009 NetsforLife® has worked to instill a “net culture”—a community-wide understanding of the protective value of nets and the right way to use and maintain them. It is estimated that the program has directly reached over 5 million people with malaria messages, distributed nearly 2 million nets and trained over 14,000 malaria control agents. For every 10 nets distributed by NetsforLife® another community member will acquire a long-lasting insecticide-treated net on their own having heard “the message”. This is evidence that a “net culture” is beginning to take hold in the communities we serve.
For more information, or to support the NetsforLife® program through donations, please visit NetsforLife® online at www.netsforlifeafrica.org. Donations can also be made over the phone by calling 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief & Development, PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Please put “NetsforLife/Malaria” in the memo line of all checks.
NetsforLife® is a partnership of corporations, foundations and faith-based organizations working to eliminate malaria in Africa. The program partnership, which has benefited, directly and indirectly, more than 18 million people to date, includes ExxonMobil, Standard Chartered Bank, the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Starr International Foundation, the White Flowers Foundation and Episcopal Relief & Development.
Contact: Kellie McDaniel
(800) 334-7626, ext. 6359
