Voices III: Malaria Powerbrokers

Overview

Voices III: Malaria Powerbrokers is the third iteration of the advocacy project, Voices for a Malaria-Free Future (2006-2009, 2009-2011), which seeks to mobilize political and popular support for malaria control through a variety of strategies and campaigns in four countries—Ghana, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project has worked to expand national movements of powerful private and public sector leaders to resolve malaria control challenges linked to policies, funding and implementation.

Accomplishments

• United Against Malaria: Led in Africa by Voices, the United Against Malaria global partnership aims to build support for universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa—a critical first step toward eliminating malaria deaths by 2015—using people’s passion for football as a catalyst. So far Voices has brought UAM to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, and many regional and club tournaments throughout sub-Saharan Africa. An official endorsement by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2012 made UAM an official sponsored cause of the 2013 Orange Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, a 16-nation football tournament from January 19 through February 10. CAF oversees 54 national football programs in Africa, giving UAM a platform to reach millions of football fans via public service announcements and billboards. UAM spokespersons such as Didier Drogba of Cote d'Ivoire and Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon continue to bring visibility to the campaign as they champion life-saving prevention tools like insecticide-treated bednets.

• Malaria Safe: Voices developed the Malaria Safe initiative built on four pillars—education, protection, visibility and advocacy—in response to the desire of African-based companies to protect their employees and communities from malaria and document the impact. Since the program launched in 2010, nearly 100 companies have joined Voices in supporting at least one pillar, distributing nets to employees, updating their diagnosis and treatment protocols, and joining forces with Malaria Safe partners to increase public awareness about malaria. In late 2012, Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda launched the program nationally to strengthen public-private partnerships in the country and boost resources for malaria control. An ongoing survey of 18 Malaria Safe companies in Voices countries is tracking corporate investments in malaria control and the related dividends in terms of lowered medical costs, fewer worker absences and greater productivity.

• High-level political advocacy: When appropriate, Voices continues to support parliamentary malaria networks, ministries, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and the African Union to target obstacles to malaria control in a collaborative way. Partnering with donors and civil society organizations, Voices organized its first parliamentary forum in 2010 in Mali, with 76 parliamentarians from 18 countries in West and Central Africa. The second took place in Zambia in 2011, followed by a third in Uganda. Voices recognizes the important role of African leaders in controlling the policies, programs and financing for health and seeks to engage these leaders in its national and international activities, including UAM and Malaria Safe. Voices also active in the leadership of the Malaria Advocacy Working Group, a coordinating mechanism of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership.