Fighting Malaria in Ethiopia

Fighting Malaria in Ethiopia

Rural communities in Ethiopia are particularly at risk, with 75 per cent of land suitable for agriculture being susceptible to malaria.

The twelve-month scheme began in July, in Ethiopia’s Ewa district. The district has one of the highest mother and infant mortality rates in the Afar region.

The project is seeing Islamic Relief distributing government-supplied mosquito nets. These long-lasting and insecticide-treated nets will be provided to at least 3,500 families in ten villages, who will also as well as access to indoor anti-mosquito sprays – supported by 100 trained community members.

Islamic Relief will also train five local health office staff on early diagnosis and effective treatment of malaria, and help health professionals promote malaria prevention with a series of public talks.

Two ‘prevent and control’ campaigns will be launched, with four school health clubs trained and mobilised and information leaflets distributed across the communities.

Health Projects: Good health is vital to quality of life – when people are ill, they cannot work, earn a living or go to school. We run clinics and hospitals, train medical staff, vaccinate children and provide maternal healthcare. Through community awareness sessions, we teach people how to take care of their health by using water and latrines hygienically, ensuring good nutrition for their children and avoiding the spread of diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS. We don’t just take care of people’s physical health – we also provide counselling and psychosocial services to children traumatised by violence and conflict, in warzones like Syria and Palestine.

Islamic Relief in Ethiopia: We’ve been working in Ethiopia since 2000, at the start of three years of severe drought. We opened our office in 2004 and today provide humanitarian and development projects with a focus on long-term sustainability.