Soul Beat Malaria Extra - Issue #3

This issue of the Soul Beat Malaria Extra shares with you a variety of recent malaria news, resources, and initiatives that are using communication strategies to raise awareness about, and spark action to end this disease. Featured are: tools, such as an advocacy guide for young campaigners and a “malaria cube”, evidence of impact, such as a study indicating rural communication activities increasing bed net usage, and examples of initiatives, such as a film that weaves malaria messages into a story of love, ambition, and determination. We hope you find these selections useful and invite to visit the Soul Beat Africa Malaria website where you will find more resources. If you have not yet registered we hope you will take the time to join us on the Malaria Online Social Network for knowledge sharing and upcoming discussion and exploration of key SBCC issues from leading practitioners in our soon to be launched ‘Heard from the field…’ section. If you have already registered please visit the Malaria Online Social Network and share your perspectives and experiences.

Released on September 12 2011, a report by the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) - Roll Back Malaria Partnership: A Decade of Partnership and Results - finds that the world has made remarkable gains against malaria in the past ten years, increasing optimism that an end to the disease is in sight. According to the report global malaria deaths have dropped by an estimated 38%, with 43 countries (11 of them in Africa) cutting malaria cases or deaths by 50% or more, reversing the trend of the previous decade and saving over a million lives. Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the RBM Partnership notes: "[W]e have reached this position not only because of new tools, vastly improved policies, financing, and strategies but also because we have found new ways of working together. A key factor in our success has been effective partnership involving donor countries, the private sector, civil society and UN organizations, with African countries taking a key leadership role."

Pathfinder, with support from the ExxonMobil Foundation, is working to improve maternal and child health in Pathfinder-supported maternity wards in the municipalities of Cacuaco and Kilamba Kiaxi in Angola by focusing on malaria treatment and prevention among pregnant women and children under the age of five. From 2009 to 2011, the Healthy Malaria-Free Life project has worked to: promote and monitor the distribution and use of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) to mothers, integrate malaria prevention into existing family planning services, provide malaria prevention information to the community, and mobilise community members to take action towards malaria prevention.

This 22-page guide for young campaigners against malaria compiled by Stop Malaria Now is designed for young activists and teachers who want to play a role in the fight against malaria. The objectives of the guide, as outlined by the publishers, are to:

• Provide an entry point to advocacy and campaigning
• Explain why engagement around malaria is essential
• Mobilise young people in the fight against malaria
• Provide a guide to assist with advocacy planning
• Share ideas for campaign activities.
  

The MalariaCube is a tool designed to help educate and inform people on the causes, treatment, and prevention of malaria. Conceived in 2010 through the collaboration of several health and humanitarian aid organisations, the MalariaCube uses pictures to tell the malaria story. The Cube, which comes with a detailed instruction sheet, unfolds to reveal what the publisher describes as important facts about malaria prevention in a simple and clear fashion. Field testing was conducted in Africa through the first quarter of 2011.

The MalariaCube is a seven-panel, puzzle cube that unfolds and flips to reveal images that emphasise key facts about malaria, such as:

• What is Malaria?
• Who can get Malaria?
• What does not cause Malaria?
  
  

Coming soon!

Heard from the field…

A series of brief commentaries and editorials on key and emerging issues from leading practitioners of SBCC at the coal face of the struggle to end Malaria. Watch for excerpts in this newsletter and register on the Soul Beat: Malaria Social Network to join the authors in discussion and further exploration.

The President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) seeks to reduce malaria-related deaths by 50 percent in 15 focus countries in Africa by expanding coverage of effective malaria prevention and treatment measures to the most vulnerable populations: pregnant women and children under five years of age. To access communication materials developed by USAID/PMI partners go to the PMI Special Collection on C-Hub. C-Hub is a service of C-Change that provides a place to find and share communication materials on development.

This two-page document provides an evaluation of the Communication and Malaria Initiative in Tanzania (COMMIT), a four-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI). The John's Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Centre for Communication Programmes (CCP) leads COMMIT in partnership with Jhpiego, Population Services International (PSI), the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), PMI, and the Tanzania Ministry of Health and National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP). The programme is implementing a comprehensive strategy for behaviour change and communication in the prevention and case management of malaria in mainland Tanzania. According to the report, the activities are reaching wide sectors of the population, increasing perceived threat and self-efficacy in terms of preventing malaria.

The Soul Beat Malaria Extra e-magazine, supported by PMI and C-Change and implemented by Soul Beat Africa, is an e-magazine that highlights social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) case studies, reports, analyses, and resources related to Malaria. Please encourage your colleagues and friends to subscribe here and select Malaria under Development Issues.

Launched in Tanzania in May 2011, Chumo is film that weaves malaria messages into a story of love, ambition, and determination. The film was produced by Media for Development International (MFDI) and directed by Jordan Riber for the Communication and Malaria Initiative in Tanzania (COMMIT) initiative, which is working to promote positive behaviour change around malaria control and prevention in Tanzania. COMMIT is led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Centre for Communication Programmes (CCP) and funded by the United States Agency for International Development and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) project. Chumo follows the story of Juma, Amina, and Yustus. Juma is a poor fisherman who loves telling tales. Amina is the girl who loves to hear his stories. They long to be together, but Amina's father, Ali, wants a better life for her. Ali finds this in Yustus, a rich but self-serving young suitor. Juma must put everything on the line to save their love, but he must sacrifice more than he bargained for in order to succeed. Malaria prevention during pregnancy is communicated through the dramatic story of the "star-crossed lovers."

Launched in 2011, Kiss Malaria Goodbye is an initiative implemented by Doctors Without Borders in South Africa that works to raise awareness, support, and funds for malaria treatment and eradication activities in Africa, particularly artemisinen-based combination therapy and malaria rapid diagnostic tests. The initiative uses new technologies such as SMS and online social networking platforms, and encourages people to record kisses as part of the message to "Kiss Malaria Goodbye."

Coming Soon!

Heard from the field… A series of brief commentaries and editorials on key and emerging issues from leading practitioners of SBCC at the coal face of the struggle to end Malaria. Watch for excerpts in this newsletter and register on the Soul Beat: Malaria Social Network to join the authors in discussion and further exploration.

Register to participate
If you are active on or interested in effective malaria action please join the Soul Beat: Malaria Social Network

Share your knowledge
Do you have programme descriptions, strategic planning documents, training manuals or other resources you think are useful to other working on SBCC and Malaria? If you do please go to the knowledge sharing area of Soul Beat Africa's Malaria Network where, once you've registered, you can upload the resources you want to share.

This publication is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Agreement No. GPO-A-00-07-00004-00. The contents are the responsibility of The Communication Initiative and the C-Change project, managed by FHI360, and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.