UNITED AGAINST MALARIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED
19 November 2009
A campaign to end all preventable malaria deaths by the next FIFA World Cup in 2014, UNITED AGAINST MALARIA kicks off across Africa. The first of the international launches of the campaign was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 8, 2000 among high-profile figures from the world of sport, politics, non-governmental organizations, global health and business groups that came together to show their unanimous support for the United Against Malaria campaign. As one of the world's biggest malaria success stories, Ethiopia is currently hosting the Board Meeting of the Global Fund from 9 – 11 November 2009. Thus the meeting had a good start by conducting the first launching of the Campaign which will be followed by a series of regional launches that will culminate at the World Cup Draw in Cape Town in December 2009.
This campaign boldly catalyzes football fever to bolster efforts to achieve the 2010 malaria targets. "We want to use the football fever to end the malaria fever" said Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership and former Minister of Health of Senegal during the launching event. "Today we are in a better position than we have ever been to win the fight against malaria. We have a plan to end malaria deaths now it comes down to implementation and what better tool than football to deliver messages to people across Africa" During the ceremony, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Health, Ethiopia and Chair of the Globoal Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said that the objective of the United Against Malaria Campaign must be acknowledged. A partnership of footballers, non-governmental organizations, foundations, governments and corporations, their joint efforts ahead of the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa is welcomed as an important component in the fight against malaria. United Against Malaria presents the opportunity to change not only the course of the disease, but also the course of the African continent. The Campaign aims to increase the political and popular will to end malaria through increased funding for malaria programming, increased prioritization of malaria control and increased, consistent, appropriate use of malaria treatment and prevention tools. It seeks to amplify efforts and accelerate current programming in a set of malaria endemic countries that offer the greatest possibility of impact on malaria. The partnerships are increasing in number and commitment from African football associations such as those of Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia to international businesses such as MTN (using their entire 2010 corporate footprint to raise money for malaria), DSTV (Super Sport and MNET to use their entire broadcast footprint to air PSAs on malaria and highlight the disease all over Africa), Nando's (to use nearly 1000 world wide outlets to create an advocacy and awareness platform for malaria and launched a fundraising bracelet campaign), to famous TV shows such as Big Brother who has pledged to donate 50% of money raised through SMS campaign around Big Brother Africa at the end of November to the Global Fund. It is believed that if this effort is sustained without loosing momentum, by 2015, 290 -300 million bed nets will be distributed and the No More Deaths by 2015 goal will be achieved. So lets keep the mobilization efforts and the advocacy work to keep the political as well economic will for supporting malaria efforts. The Campaign also needs to be supported by other activities such as community awareness raising and behaviour change. Community strengthening is also a plea to all decision makers to support Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) for the Global Fund in each country and the community at large to push for more. It is also an opportunity for private sector to get involved in the advocacy and community empowerment by taking a simple message across all involved. During the launch of the campaign around the world in the coming weeks, the United Against Malaria team will be led by 12 year old Charles Ssali who is a top footballer in his age group in his native Uganda, one of the top five malaria endemic countries in the world. A malaria survivor himself, Ssali will travel from Ethiopia on to New York and Brussels before arriving in South Africa ahead of the World Cup draw. His goal will be to secure the support of public and private sector leaders for the campaign and sign on a football that will be presented to African leaders. In Ethiopia he attended the Global Fund field trip on malaria, recruited an Ethiopian local ambassador to get United Against Malaria at a Soccer School, met the Prime Minister of Ethiopia and presented the United Against Malaria ball and attended the launching event of United Against Malaria campaign in Addis Ababa. The main aim of the Campaign is to raise global awareness and renew worldwide commitment to ending malaria as well as to increase the use of prevention tools and malaria treatment in Africa. Therefore the call is: WE HAVE THE TOOLS AND THE MOMENTUM.NOW WE NEED YOU.UNITED,WE CANBEAT MALARIA
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