A Unique Year
According to Bill Gates, 2020 was a year with “mutually exacerbating catastrophes” due to COVID. Public health has been setback by 25 years, as people are not seeking health care and consequently not receiving life-saving services such as vaccinations. According to WHO, malaria deaths can double due to COVID in Sub-Saharan Africa. The need to escalate preventive measures that include mosquito bed nets and spraying homes with insecticides is greater this year.
Why Zambia
Malaria transmission rates are high in all areas in Zambia, due to high co-infections rates between HIV and malaria, water collection, and poor sanitation. One-third of households do not have access to even one net and the remainder may need more than one net per household. Also, less than 50% of children under five sleep under a net, even though malaria can be fatal for young children. Pregnant women living with HIV are also highly vulnerable to malaria infection and death.
Our Response
To keep vulnerable families safe from malaria, 3,000 mosquito bed nets and education were provided in rural and urban areas this month as the malaria season runs from October to May. Nets provision took place in a safe manner to prevent the spread of COVID.
As always, beneficiary communities were selected based on need and transmission rates of malaria. Direct beneficiaries were young children, children and adults living with HIV, older people, people suffering from TB, and pregnant women. Young children, and HIV+ pregnanat women are especially vulnerable as malaria can be fatal for these groups.
Plan for 2021
Our goal is to provide a total of 12,000-15,000 long lasting insecticide nets and education benefitting 20,000-50,000 adults and children as each net can sleep up to four young children or two adults. Our vision is for Zambia to be malaria free in the next three years. Zambia has set a lofty goal of eliminating malaria by 2021and according to the USAID this goal is ambitious but within reach.
Thanks for keeping children and families free from malaria and COVID-19
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2020 brought a whole host of unexpected challenges. However, since we know our communities well, and with a few adaptations in service delivery, none of the families on our program contracted COVID. We strengthened our nets provision and education systems to ensure that we can continue to provide malaria bed nets while keeping everyone safe from COVID. Your continued support helped build the infrastructure essential for an effective response to the pandemic. Thank you!
For a glimpse into a COVID education workshop watch this short video below.
2021 may bring more uncertainty, but our faith in the strength of our program activities has been confirmed. Thank you for keeping vulnerable families safe from malaria.
Sending you and your family a tsunami of love for this holiday season and for 2021.
Thanks for keeping children and families free from malaria and COVID-19.
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Impact of COVID: The COVID virus has had a disproportionately higher impact on vulnerable populations and developing countries. According to Bill Gates, this year we are amid “mutually exacerbating catastrophes”. In public health, we have been setback by 25 years, as people are not seeking health care and receiving life-saving services such as vaccinations. Further, according to the WHO, disruption to anti-malaria programs due to COVID could cause deaths from malaria to double in Sub-Saharan Africa. Progress in the fight against malaria has stalled at the same time as mosquitoes and parasites gain resistance to treatment. In 2020 and 2021, there is an urgent need to escalate preventive measures that include mosquito bed nets and spraying homes with insecticides.
Malaria in Zambia: Malaria transmission rates are high in all areas in Zambia, due to high co-infections rates between HIV and malaria, water logging, and poor sanitation. One-third of households do not have access to even one net and the remainder may need more than one net per household. Also, less than 50% of children under five sleep under a net, even though malaria can be fatal for young children. Pregnant women living with HIV are also highly vulnerable to malaria infection and death.
Our Response to the crisis: According to the USAID, it is possible to eliminate malaria from Zambia in the next 2-3 years. To help eliminate malaria from Zambia, 6000 long lasting insecticide treated nets and education on malaria and COVID is being provided this month. Trained health care professionals provide health education and information about malaria and COVID. Topics discussed during the education session include:
All protocols for COVID prevention are followed during the provision of nets and education. Beneficiary communities were selected based on need and transmission rates of malaria. Direct beneficiaries are young children, children and adults living with HIV, older people, people suffering from TB, and pregnant women.
With your support, 11,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets and education benefitting approximately 44,000 children or 22,000 adults (as each net can sleep four young children or two adults) have been distributed in 2020.
Next steps: Our plan is to provide 12,000-15,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets and education in 2021.
Stay safe. We are all in this together.
Thanks for keeping children and families free from malaria and COVID-19.
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Impact of COVID on Malaria Prevention Efforts
As you know, COVID-19 has had a disproportionately higher impact on vulnerable populations globally. Further, according to the WHO, disruption to anti-malaria programs due to COVID could cause deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa from malaria to double. Progress in the fight against malaria has stalled at the same time as mosquitoes and parasites gain resistance to treatment.
Our Response
With the virus spreading rapidly, the health of population segments vulnerable to malaria, is at increased risk. To keep vulnerable populations safe from malaria, 5,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets and education on COVID-19 and malaria prevention was provided last May/June. Direct beneficiaries were young children, children and adults living with HIV, and pregnant women. Beneficiary communities were selected based on transmission rates of malaria in Zambia.
Next steps
Our plan is to provide an additional 7,000 long lasting insecticide treated nets and education this year. This will bring the total to 12,000 malaria bed nets to benefit approximately 48,000 children or 24,000 adults as each net can sleep four young children or two adults.
Stay safe. We are all in this together.
Thanks for keeping children and families free from malaria and COVID-19.
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Happy Dad's day. Here is heartwarming news from the ground in Zambia. Last month, along with our partner Greenway Appliances, we launched an innovative project that provides clean cooking stoves to vulnerable families. These stoves have a minimal carbon footprint, are almost smoke free, use less fuel, and cook food faster. The stoves were pre-tested for smoke generation, fuel availability/cost, local recipes, cooking speed, and ease of use before the project was launched.
Goals of this project are to improve the health of families, save money on fuel, and income generation. So far, recipients love their new stoves as they are easy to use, smoke generation is almost nil, and they are saving money on fuel bills.
Beneficiaries: 10,000 vulnerable families living in impoverished neighborhoods.
The provision of stoves is in addition to provision of education and long lasting insecticide treated nets to families vulnerable to malaria.
Thanks for giving the gift of health to hundreds of families vulnerable to malaria in Zambia.
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