Archive for February, 2010

Join us in Washington, D.C. and Act Now to End Malaria

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

We’re busy preparing to host advocates from around the country this April.
Will you be one of them?

I’m thrilled to tell you about our major event to end malaria coming up soon, April 21 and 22 in Washington, D.C.  We’re calling it the Action Summit to End Malaria, our first-ever event to bring people from across the country together to advocate for an end to this horrific disease.

Malaria was eradicated in the United States 60 years ago.  And now it’s time for the rest of the world!  Tragically, malaria is still a leading cause of death for children around the world. With enough focused attention, we could be the generation that actually does away with a disease that has killed generations of people – many of them children under five.

mobilization-resizeSo join us this April in Washington, D.C. We will train advocates from across the country to use their voice to draw awareness and drive change around a cause. Targeting community, business, church and school leaders across the country, the Action Summit has been underwritten to provide a low-cost, high-impact event experience.

We’ll hear from a friend in Zambia who knows the threat of malaria first-hand, from a leader in the Administration and from a child advocate and pastor from Dallas, TX with a passion for tackling poverty and injustice.

In addition, the event includes training for face-to-face meetings with elected leaders, a Night of Nets event (a model of an artistic, experiential, interactive evening gathering anyone can host in their church/community) and an afternoon of outside-the-box creative activism opportunities near the nation’s capital.

Let’s join forces to descend on Capitol Hill and let our legislators know that we won’t remain silent while more than 2,000 children die every day from this preventable disease.

The means to end malaria is cheap and available, but we need your voice to make it a reality.

I look forward to meeting all of you, hearing your stories, and using our voices together to make a difference.  As the date approaches, I will be sharing updates for this exciting event. I hope to see you there!

Learn more and register here.

What killed King Tut?

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

Stop Living in de-Nile … malaria has been killing for centuries. It’s time to end malaria.

After years of studying the mummified remains of King Tutankhamun (aka “King Tut”), scientists have determined the cause of his premature death at age 19 –  cerebral malaria.

What killed King Tut?

According to a research article soon to be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, malaria was a contributing factor to the death of this well-known pharaoh.  It’s a reminder of just how long malaria has ravaged the world, causing the early deaths of kings and queens, peasants and paupers for thousands of years.

Had bed nets and anti-malarials been available to King Tut, he may still be alive today.  Well, he actually would still be dead now.   But this story is a reminder of the importance of our time in history. With sufficient attention and focus, we could find ourselves on the cusp of eliminating a disease that has robbed lives for thousands of years.

It is too late for King Tut, but not for the millions of children if we act now.

Read more about King Tut’s malaria here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_EGYPT_KING_TUT

Don’t forget communities!

Friday, February 12th, 2010

The importance of local ownership in malaria programs

I recently wrote an article for Monday Developments Magazine about the importance of community involvement and ownership in malaria prevention activities. Here’s the gist:

In Zambia, Isabel, a community caregiver, loads bed nets on her bicycle, to deliver to her clients.

Isabel, a community caregiver in Zambia, loads bed nets onto her bicycle.

Too often, those most impacted by malaria are left out of the process and not empowered to help defeat malaria themselves. This is particularly relevant as the Obama Administration begins implementing its new Global Health Initiative, utilizing a country-centered approach. Such an approach has the potential to improve the effectiveness of global health programs by tailoring activities and funds based on the specific health needs in each country. However, if local communities are not included, the impact and sustainability of such efforts is questionable.

You can read more here (page 29):
http://www.scribd.com/MD-Dec09-Small/d/24597207

Have you seen the community-based approach work more effectively to combat a problem, here in the U.S. or abroad? tell us about it.


Malaria funding increases in Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

On Feb. 1, President Obama released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget to the American people and it included a $95 million increase over FY 2010, totaling $680 million for President’s Malaria Initiative and U.S. Agency for International Development.

When combining other programs that impact malaria, such as research and technical assistance at the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control, U.S. malaria budget totals $829 million. While still falling short of U.S. malaria commitments, this increase is encouraging.

budget-graphThe $95 million “plus-up” is a sign that the Administration values the impact of malaria programs and remains committed to addressing this leading cause of child deaths worldwide even when times are tough. This message was reiterated during a call I had with White House officials regarding the global health budget more broadly earlier today.

These investments are just the type we need right now – saving lives using some of the most cost-effective and simple solutions. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure we are getting the best bang for our buck when spending precious federal dollars. Malaria programs deliver on that investment.

The funding is well short of the commitment to providing at least a $1 billion a year for malaria. But Monday’s budget release represents a positive trend.