The Rotary Club of Banjul, The Gambia, is supporting the rollout of the country’s national bed net distribution campaign with a public education campaign about the importance of the proper care and use of mosquito nets coupled with other anti-malaria actions. On March 22, hundreds of Rotary members from the 10 member countries of Rotary District 9101 participated in a Walk for Zero Malaria. That March featured prominent Gambians, including the First Lady, the Vice President, the Minister of Health and the D9101 Malaria Coordinator, Dr. Emma Bruce.
On April 25, Dr. Bruce and her RC Banjul colleagues organized a World Malaria Day program in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP)—an event that was covered by print, radio and TV journalists. Then, on May 5th, Dr. Bruce participated in the launch of the Gambia-Senegal national bed net distribution campaign. The Rotary members’ education campaign in late May will feature Radio programs in local languages and dramatic productions demonstrating prevention of malaria and proper use of bed nets. Rotary members and Rotaractors will be visiting rural areas to observe the dramatic productions, hand out 1,000 anti-malaria T-shirts and work with their NMCP partners.