World Malaria Day 2012
Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria
Protect Women and Children
 

This fifth annual World Malaria Day, we recognize the tremendous progress to date of global partnerships to curb the burden of malaria. We would also like to reflect on our lessons learned and how we may apply them to shape strategies for reaching the Roll Back Malaria goal of near-zero deaths by 2015.

MCHIP brings proven leadership and technical expertise to help countries address and scale up prevention and treatment of malaria as well as support a reduction in the global burden of malaria morbidity and mortality. As a key contributor to the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), MCHIP has been well positioned to implement a unique approach to supporting the reduction of malaria morbidity and mortality. Working in close collaboration with the PMI team at the country and headquarter levels, as well as with ministries of health, MCHIP builds national and local capacities and strengthens health systems so that they may accelerate scale-up for prevention and treatment programs that support policies of malaria in pregnancy (MIP) and community case management (CCM) in children under five.

Over the past two years, MCHIP has taken a closer look at a few countries that have made notable strides in their malaria programs. While they still have a long way to go, Zambia, Malawi and Senegal have been performing relatively well in reaching coverage targets for use of intermittent preventive treatment and bed nets to prevent MIP. Similarly, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among a few countries that have begun national scale-up of integrated community case management  (iCCM) of the five major childhood illnesses, malaria included.

Recognizing that there are critical lessons to bring to light, MCHIP has documented the program successes and challenges of these countries. The documents are being disseminated widely to key stakeholders -- including ministries of health, national malaria control programs, national child health programs, and national reproductive health program -- and will inform the future programs of these countries.

MCHIP also remains a technical leader in global partnerships and working groups at the forefront of developing and advocating strategies and tools for the prevention and control of malaria. As co-chair of the Roll Back Malaria MIP Working Group, I am integrally involved in prioritizing messages and setting guidance for countries, such as on the importance of collaboration between national departments of reproductive health and malaria programs to coordinate programs and precious resources to accelerate the scale-up of MIP programs.

Through participation in the global CCM Task Force, a multi-partner coordination mechanism for iCCM, MCHIP has launched and manages the CCM Central website (www.CCMcentral.com). Materials developed and collected by MCHIP -- such as the iCCM Tool Kit -- are accessible on the website and program managers around the world can freely access them to initiate and strengthen national iCCM programs.

Through implementation of PMI’s Malaria Communities Program (MCP), MCHIP also engages U.S., international and local NGOs with local partners and organizations committed to improving access to malaria prevention and treatment by their communities. MCHIP provides programmatic and technical guidance to 20 MCP grantees with the aim of strengthening projects that build local ownership of malaria control for the long-term.

MCHIP works tirelessly to advocate for proven approaches and to make available the expertise and tools that countries need for successful malaria programs. With our partners at RBM and PMI, we are making a difference each day in the lives of women and children who are saved from malaria. Moving forward, we will ensure that our investments in malaria focus on building on our successes and learning from our challenges to propel malaria programs to the next level.

Thank you for your support.

Koki Agarwal
Director