Today, the 25th of April is World Malaria Day 2013. On this day, thousands of people from around the world will partake in a number of activities to commemorate this day and call attention to the incredible progress that has been made in controlling the global spread of malaria. World Malaria Day is held annually on the 25th of April as a part of the United Nation’s “Millennium Development Goals” which include the goal to eradicate malaria by 2015. The theme for 2013 is “Invest in the Future: Defeat Malaria”. This theme is in recognition of the fact that while a lot has been done, there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, in particular in Africa to eradicate malaria.
There have been great strides made in the past years towards the control and eradication of malaria. World Malaria Day notes that “In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade; outside of Africa, 35 out of the 53 countries, affected by malaria, have reduced cases by 50% in the same time period. In countries where access to malaria control interventions has improved most significantly, overall child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 20%”. These are incredible strides that have been made, but they are in danger of being hampered for financial support for malaria is currently insufficient.
This means that malaria still remains a real disease both in Africa and the larger world despite it being fully curable, treatable and a preventable disease. It is estimated that in each year, malaria kills about 650 000 people (consisting mainly of pregnant women and children that are under five years). These are shocking numbers for a disease that is preventable.
This has devastating effects for Africa as the World Health Organisation notes that while approximately half the world’s population is at risk of malaria, most of these cases and deaths however occur in sub-Saharan Africa where were approximately, a child is lost every minute to this preventable disease. This means that although there has been inconceivable progress, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to strengthen efforts to eradicate malaria completely.
To accomplish this task a number of organisations have joined forces in fighting the disease in Africa. These groups include Unite Against Malaria (UAM) founded ahead of the 2010 World Cup, and another being the Cape-Town based Relate Bracelets social enterprise (which has joined forces with UAM to create the “Unite Against Malaria Bracelet”).
Lauren Gillis of Relate notes that “Relate creates such bracelets in order to fund various causes (including United Against Malaria) while also providing earning opportunities for those with little other hope (including township gogos [old women] and refugees). It’s a great model whereby every single bracelet sold improves (and possibly even saves) the lives of a number of people. Money raised for United Against Malaria is used to fund mosquito nets, vaccines and treatment. It saves lives!”
She however also cautions that “not all casual bracelets on the market are made by non-profit organisations. If you want to be sure your money is going to the cause of your choice while also supporting those in need, look out for Relate’s “R” bead which is the mark of authenticity on all our bracelets”.
Relate and UAM estimate that through the sale of these bracelets, over half a million children have been protected of malaria as of today. They further state that the sale of these beaded bracelets has been critical in aiding the fight against malaria by enabling ordinary people to contribute their skills.
The UAM bracelet is available from retailers like Game and the Tiger’s Eye curio stores (Indaba and Out of Africa) and is also available online through the Digital Mall.
You can join Relate Bracelets on World Malaria Day as they raise awareness about malaria, commemorate the achievements thus far and look forward to find solutions to eradicating malaria completely in the world. The Twitter handle for Relate is: @RelateBracelets (and the hashtag is #rollbackmalaria) and you can also connect and find them on Facebook or their website.
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Qambela Gcobani
Qambela Gcobani is a youthhubafrica correspondent for South Africa. He is a post-grad student in Anthropology. His main areas of interest include sustainable development, education, masculinities, sexual and reproductive health. He’s a qualified core lecturer with the Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS). Previously he has worked for the Centre for AIDS Development Research and Evaluation (at the Institute for Social and Economic Research) at Rhodes University. Read his full profile here
