World Health Organization and other international groups launched a coordi- nated global response to the disease in 1998. Te Roll Back Malaria Partnership, a consortium of more than 500 national governments, development agencies, foundations, and research and academic institutions, created the Global Malaria Action Plan. Today the plan’s strategies for preventing, treating, and controlling or eliminating malaria are in place in more than 35 countries. Te ELCA’s campaign is aligned with
Patients with malaria receive treatment at a hospital ward in Liberia. 17
In Waverly, Iowa, Wartburg College students liſted up
malaria at everything from homecoming to the Christ- mas concert and in local congregations. Kelsey Nulph and other student leaders teamed with the athletic department to make presentations on malaria during halſtime at home games and added game ticket receipts to the malaria coffer. “Te campaign was more than slogans and T-shirts,”
Nulph said. “It was designed to be transformational, not just for those being served by the campaign but also for those actively engaged in it. Te campaign gave students the opportunity to learn about malaria, be involved in the work of the global church, and use their collective voices and giſts to create change in the world.” Wartburg students exceeded their $35,000 goal by
nearly $10,000—and a generous matching grant from Arne and Ruth Sorenson of Washington, D.C., turned that $45,000 into $90,000. Te Sorensons contributed $25,000 in seed money
to help Nulph and other ELCA college, university and campus ministry student leaders launch the campaign at their schools. Tey also set aside $125,000 to match the funds these leaders collected, challenging students to raise $250,000. Tat goal, too, has been met.
Strengthening a global focus Te global effort to eliminate malaria has also gone well beyond the bumper sticker. Eliminated from Western Europe during the 1930s
and the U.S. by 1951, malaria has persisted in countries where it can be transmitted year round—especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Frustrated aſter 40 years of combating malaria, the
18
www.thelutheran.org
this global effort. “All of our Lutheran malaria programs supported by the ELCA Malaria Campaign have relationships
with the government, be it National Malaria Control Programs or local government health facilities,” said Rebecca Duerst, ELCA program director for global health. Coordinating their efforts keeps everyone focused on achieving a country’s malaria goals and deploys resources more efficiently. In Zimbabwe, for example, the Lutheran malaria
program has facilitated training of government health workers and provided gear for them to conduct indoor residual spraying, one effective abatement measure. In Uganda the program supports government-
trained village health teams. Lutherans fund test kits, treatment and transportation that help these teams reach remote regions where people wouldn’t have access to malaria prevention and treatment. In Dipalata, Zambia, building a health post united
residents, who molded bricks and made mortar; the Lutheran malaria program, which provided win- dows and doors; and the government, which supplied architectural plans. Providing permanent housing for a public health program that provides education, rapid diagnostic testing and malaria medication will help Zambia move closer to eradicating malaria. Tousands of similar public-private projects spon-
sored by everyone from the Gates Foundation to the United Methodist Church and the U.S. government are helping Roll Back Malaria live out its slogan: “Global Partnership for a Malaria-free World.”
Church plays key role in remote areas With international funding for malaria now exceeding $1.5 billion a year, the Lutheran contribution can seem like little more than a drop in a big bucket. Duerst said $15 million is comparatively small, but not inconsequential. “Te [Lutheran malaria programs/
ELCA
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52