Malaria Advocacy: Mobilising for Malaria Programme

Situation:

Malaria claims up to 3 million lives each year, with an estimated 300-500 million acute infections a year, 90% of which are in Africa, costing upwards of US$12 billion per annum. It is the world's invisible pandemic. A 2004 Gallup poll found that only two per cent of the world's population considers malaria an important health threat. Resources to address the malaria burden are not proportional to the extent of the devastation. This needs to change if we are serious about reducing the burden and recognizing the impact on the social and economic wellbeing and health of African society. In the case of malaria, advocacy will support all means possible to reduce the burden and suffering caused by the disease. Children

Response:

Mobilising for Malaria is an initiative of Malaria Consortium which is supported by GlaxoSmithKline’s African Malaria Partnership. It is an advocacy programme which aims to raise awareness of malaria in Europe and Africa to bring greater resources to bear against the disease. By applying some of the lessons learned from the successes of the civil society responses to HIV/AIDS to malaria, the programme recognises the unique role and urgently needed contribution of civil society in the global malaria advocacy movement. It seeks to promote “coalitions against malaria” which encourage partnership working and collaboration between all civil society actors not only in their own countries but through North-South joint initiatives in order to increase public and political awareness and support for an effective and sustained response to Malaria at global, national and local levels. In Europe, the programme focuses on the UK, France and Belgium - the countries with the strongest ties to Africa. In Africa, the programme focuses on Ethiopia, Cameroon and Benin.

Specifically, the project aims to accomplish the following:

To provide a unified voice in Europe and Africa for all involved in the fight against Malaria.
To broaden and strengthen parliamentary support and the role of civil society and partners in the response to Malaria.
To secure the resources necessary for the prevention and treatment of Malaria.
To foster an alliance of effective malaria advocates including in Africa, Europe and North America, building global consensus and strengthening the international impact of malaria advocacy.
To hold governments and multinational institutions to account as they step up efforts to meet the commitments made and malaria targets agreed, and to influence international and national agenda-setting.

Malaria Advocacy: Mobilising for Malaria Programme

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Response:

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