World Malaria Summit

For the last two weeks, I've been writing about the malaria crisis in sub-Saharan Africa and what folks in the U.S. can do to raise their awareness and support to BedNetsNow!. The second annual World Malaria Day was last Saturday (April 25) and on the eve of that, international leaders gathered in Washington, DC, for the World Malaria Summit. Their purpose was to launch the One World Against Malaria Campaign.

The One World Against Malaria Campaign aims to unlock the enormous potential of faith institutions in Africa by providing support and resources to create interfaith partnerships, particularly between oft-divided Christians and Muslims, who face a common enemy in malaria. The partnerships will focus on bednet distribution, net utilization education, and treatment in local communities where houses of worship are the most trusted institutions.

The speakers included Dr. Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria; Quincy Jones; Admiral Tim Ziemer, Coordinator, President's Malaria Initiative; Archbishop John Onaiyekan and Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, Co-chairs of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council.

If I've managed to get you interested in or, better yet, involved in the fight against malaria, this is a rare opportunity to see what's happening at the top of this critical effort and what next steps world health visionaries are planning to take.