Rotary International President, Gordon Mclnally, announced yesterday that in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and World Vision, Rotary is launching Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge.
This will provide $30 million to help combat malaria, diarrheal disease and respiratory infections – the top killers of children under five years – in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. These countries include Zambia, Nigeria, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“I have some exciting news to share. The success of Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia (PMFZ) led to an opportunity to leverage our strategic partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and World Vision to create a new disease prevention and treatment program which we are calling the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge, which will be implemented in four countries from 2024 – 2027,” said Rotary International president Mclnally. “Through this program, Rotary is helping to strengthen community health care systems to reduce severe disease and death in the participating countries and ensure that the local communities have access to quality healthcare.”
Malaria Partners International (MPI) team members, Jeff Pritchard, Adriana Lanting, Jim Moore and Jenny Andrews attended the All-Africa Rotary Zone Institute in Lusaka, Zambia where the announcement was made.
They were joined by Malaria Partners Zambia (MPZ) team members Martha Lungu, Eric Liswaniso who, along with colleagues from World Vision, provided hands dash on implementation of the community health worker training through Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia.
“I am very happy to see the efforts of so many people who have worked tirelessly on PMFZ result in Rotary expanding its commitment to ending malaria in Africa said Martha Lungu, Executive Director of Malaria Partners Zambia.
“This new grant will enable Rotary to serve as one of the key leaders in helping us achieve a malaria-free Zambia, and from there, and malaria-free Africa.”
