New Tool to Fight Malaria is Saving Lives

Families in the rural villages of Malawi face many challenges. Most are subsistence farmers who struggle to feed their children. Education levels are generally low – a third of the males and two-thirds of the females cannot read or write. Hunger and disease kill many thousands of people – particularly children – every year. One of the most common killer diseases is malaria, which accounts for as much as 15 to 20 percent of deaths among school-age children in the region.

A girl suffering from malaria washes her hands before she receives her pill from a teacher trained by Save the Children to diagnose and treat the disease.

Thanks to a Save the Children program, communities now have an effective tool that works to fight malaria and save lives. Death rates from malaria among school-age children are down 72 percent in villages using new treatment kits provided by Save the Children.

The British medical journal The Lancet documented these results, and described the efforts as playing “an important role in improving the health and educational outcomes of children.”

How Save the Children’s Anti-Malaria Kits Save Lives
At any given time, 50-70 percent of the children in Malawi’s Mangochi District have some form of malaria. When the symptoms become full-blown, children run high fevers, feel weak and nauseous. They find it difficult to concentrate in school. They also lose their appetite, and often get anemia, both of which exacerbate other problems brought on by poor nutrition.

Under these conditions, it has been very difficult for children to learn and grow. But things are beginning to change in Mangochi.

Five years ago, Save the Children began providing malaria treatment kits to 33 schools in Mangochi. Teachers were trained to diagnose the disease and give medicine. Children were encouraged to go to school and get treatment as soon as they began to feel ill. Parents and village leaders were involved in administering, promoting and contributing financially to the effort.

Now the people of Mangochi report the kits have been good for the children, good for families, and good for the community as a whole.

Children like the simplicity and effectiveness of the one-time treatments. They don’t have to remember to take additional doses of medicine, and they usually feel better in a day or two. “I like the kit at school because after treatment I become happy again, get better and go back to school, play and I can do my work,” said one 13-year-old girl.

Parents like the school-based program because it saves them an arduous trip on foot to the health center, often a day-long journey. Children who are healthier can also help more around the house with chores such as feeding animals, carrying water and caring for younger siblings.

Community leaders notice additional benefits. School enrollments are up and absenteeism is down. "The change I see is that now more parents are sending their children to the school because they know the children will get treated without delay when they are sick,” says Mai Hawa, headwoman of a village called Sangadzi. “This is a good thing for our community. I will continue to support the kits."

Save the Children has now expanded the program to 100 schools in Mangochi District, reaching nearly 100,000 children. The kits and training also were provided to an additional 70 schools in the neighboring Balaka District, benefiting more than 40,000 children. The program results have been so well-received, the government of Malawi plans to take over the management of the program and expand its availability nationally. In addition, several international organizations have taken note of this relatively simple and highly effective program, and are hoping to replicate it in other countries where malaria prevents millions of children from reaching their full potential.