Fraser Mpofu
17 June 2008
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia have drafted a joint proposal to the United Nations Global Fund to Fight HIV, Malaria and Tuberculosis for malaria, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional coordinator for malaria programmes, Lieutenant Colonel Kaka Mudambo, has said.
"We are putting the final touches on the joint proposal," Mudambo said. "We are currently incorporating suggestions from health experts."
His remarks come barely a month after the six SADC countries held a series of meetings styled the Zambezi River Expedition beginning at the source of the Zambezi River in the Kaleni Hills in Zambia on April 3 ending at the point where the mighty river empties into the Indian Ocean in Mozambique on May 31, a distance of about 3 000 kilometres.
Health experts and journalists used inflatable boats to traverse the Zambezi River, reaching out to communities in remote villages on the banks of the river.
The expedition was meant to raise awareness on malaria, the second largest killer disease in SADC after HIV/AIDS.
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets and anti-malaria medication were also provided to the villagers.
The Zambezi River Expedition is steering the Roll Back Malaria campaign, a partnership launched in 1998 by the WHO, UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank aiming at cutting malaria deaths in half by 2010.
Mudambo said the region is seeking funding for the six countries in Round 8 of the anti-malaria campaign. He expressed hope that the proposal to the Global Fund would meet the deadline of July 1.
If the joint proposal succeeds, he added, the money will be used to intensify existing malaria programmes including vector control, the use of insecticides and treated mosquito nets, and the distribution of information and education campaign material.
The joint application by the six SADC governments is the region's first for malaria projects. It is consistent with the theme of Africa Malaria Day, 'Malaria - A Disease Without Borders' and the slogan 'United to Combat Malaria.'
Through their joint efforts, said Mudambo, the six SADC countries intend to facilitate access of patients to clinics.
"For example, it will be possible for a malaria patient from one country in the joint proposal to receive treatment at a nearby health centre closest to them even if it is in another country, as long as it is in the region," he explained.
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