Game changer: Dr Julian Jane Atim, Project Manager
Uganda – Fostering a culture of malaria control
“I met a boy who was always missing out on school because of malaria. I reached out to his parents and continuously explained the benefits of sleeping under a net. He soon stopped missing classes and the family stopped struggling to pay for medication and transport to the hospital. He is now posting some great marks in class and his parents are so happy. I feel it is a real privilege to serve others as a daily occupation!”
Julian has been managing Ugandan public and private health malaria programmes for eight years. She has implemented many innovative behaviour change campaigns focused on increasing communities’ demand for accurate and timely malaria diagnosis and treatment.
Since 2013 Julian has been responsible for Malaria Consortium’s Malaria Control Culture Project in Tororo. She is responsible for all stages of the projectand her ideas have had a huge impact. Through the ‘malaria schools challenge’ she has introduced malaria education to children in the classroom to help them understand both the disease and how to protect themselves, and to encourage them to share what they learn at home. Her behaviour change communications campaign brought mosquito nets back to the heart of Ugandan households.But as Julian told us, what keeps her going is saving vulnerable children under five and pregnant mothers from malaria.