Malaria Project Celebrates a 3-year Partnership Milestone Project Close-out
World Vision Zambia, in collaboration with the Rotary and Malaria Partners Zambia, held a project closure press briefing event at Sarova Hotel on Tuesday, 25 June 2024, to celebrate the successful completion of a 3-year Partnership for Malaria Free Zambia project. The USD 6 million project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International and World Vision United States, aimed at supporting the scaling up of Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM+) in 10 districts in Central and Muchinga Province, respectively of the Republic of Zambia.
Addressing the press at the event, Rotary International Director Mr. Patrick Chisanga highlighted that the malaria project has trained 2,500 community health workers who are testing, diagnosing, and treating malaria and other diarrheal diseases at the community level in the ten districts of the two provinces (Muchinga and Central provinces) where the project is being implemented.
“The trained community health workers have helped to decongest health facilities, as people can now access health services close to their homes. They have detected 1,323,892 malaria cases in the community, against 1,062,555 detected by the health facilities,” he said.
He said that the project has strengthened health systems in the Ministry of Health at various levels through staff training in iCCM and other malaria intervention programs.
Mr. Chisanga further stated that as a result of the great achievements by the Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, the funders have launched a USD$30 million new Rotary-led grant to scale up the work of PMFZ to 3 additional countries to Zambia thus Nigeria, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC).
“This grant will focus on Malaria, Pneumonia, malnutrition and diarrhea in the named countries,” he said.
In a speech read on behalf of the National Director, Marc Nosbach, by the People and Culture Director, Ms. Ngoza Kabaso said community health volunteers were empowered with basic knowledge to attend to cases in their areas.
“I want to appreciate the Ministry of Health for being supportive by ensuring that trainers and supervisors were available to provide the required technical skills and information for the Community Health Worker training and mentorship sessions at the community level,” said Mr. Nosbach.
He said CHWs are currently diagnosing more patients at the community level than those diagnosed at the health facility level in all the project sites. This achievement provides hope for our Country’s National Malaria Elimination Strategy.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Nosbach recognised Partners for a Malaria Free Zambia Project for acknowledging its partnership with other players such as PATH, MACEPA, PMI PAMO Plus, CHAZ, Flame, and AMREF, among other key partners that have been instrumental in contributing to the fight against Malaria in the country.
“With this spirit of collaboration and commitment, there will be continued achievements in the goals of the Ministry of Health National Malaria Elimination Program. Together, we can end Malaria and achieve the global vision of a malaria-free Zambia,” he said.
