Safety net: an Indian girl looks forward to protection from her newly donated mosquito net. Globally, a child dies of malaria every 45 seconds, and in sub-Saharan Africa every 30 seconds. The provision of insecticide-treated malaria nets can reduce instances of malaria by up to 50 per cent, the child-development charity Compassion says.
Philanthropists have praised the Church as an effective partner in the fight against malaria in Africa.
Christopher Flowers, chief executive officer of J. C. Flowers and Co., and Neville Isdell, former CEO of Coca-Cola, had the Order of the Epiphany conferred on them by the Archbishop of the Province of Central Africa, the Most Revd Albert Chama, at a service in St Stephen’s, Lusaka, in Zambia, earlier this month. Both are working in partnership with Christian Aid and the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation to tackle malaria along national borders.
By working through the Church in remote communities in Zambia which border Namibia and Angola, the Cross-Border Malaria Initiative has spread educa-tion and health knowledge, besides distributing 100,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
World Malaria Day is 25 April.