Malaria Prevention

17 Countries – Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has joined with NetsforLife® to take on the prevention of malaria in Africa. NetsforLife® is a collaborative partnership between The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and several other corporate and NGO partners. Its aim is to implement an integrated malaria control and prevention program which empowers communities to fight malaria by providing the essential tools to change lives – including treated nets to keep the mosquitoes at bay and the training and information needed to instill a “Net Culture” across participating countries.

In Uganda, where Malaria is the leading cause of illness and death in the country, this program works in 19 target areas in six dioceses – Kumi, Soroti, Busoga, Namirembe, Bukedi and Mbale. Since 2006, NetsforLife® has distributed almost 1.5 million nets to the area and plans to distribute 100,000 more before 2012.

‘Before NetsforLife® came to this area, community members used to wake me up in the middle of the night at least four times every month to baptise and anoint a sick child — only to bury him or her the next day. However, since the programme started, such midnight calls have ceased. I believe that NetsforLife® is saving lives.’
-- Father James Okwonga – Mugarsya Parish, Uganda

Throughout the 17 countries combined, the program has distributed over 4.8 million nets, trained nearly 43,000 malaria control agents, and directly reached almost 9 million community members. The goal for the current phase of the NetsforLife® program partnership is to distribute 7 million nets in sub-Saharan Africa by 2013.