By Adriana Lanting, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Malaria Partners International
Rotary District 9211 is organizing a District Conference for Uganda and Tanzania on the 23rd to the 25th of April 2021 at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort and Conference. This annual conference usually attracts an average of 3500 Rotarians from Uganda and Tanzania. The conference closure coincides with World Malaria Day slated for Sunday the 25th Of April 2021. This year’s World Malaria Day theme is “READY TO BEAT MALARIA”.
Under two key focus areas of Rotary international; Disease Prevention and Treatment and Maternal and Child Health, the Rotary club of Kisaasi Kyanja in conjuction with the Rotary District 9211 have organized a bicycle ride event on the 25th of April 2021 to be flagged off at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort at 8 A.M. Bicycle riding being a socially distanced sport, we anticipate to host 1500 riders to ride 25Kms from Munyonyo. Our route has been designed to specifically target vulnerable communities living around Lake Victoria near swampy areas that provide an easy breeding ground of mosquitoes in central Uganda.
The ride is meant to highlight the fact Uganda has the 3rd highest global burden of malaria cases (5%) and the 7th highest level of deaths (3%). It also has the highest proportion of malaria cases in East and Southern Africa 23.7%. This event is meant to kick off a sustained and deliberate effort towards mobilizing the private sector to:
- Raise funds to promote a behavioral change campaign aimed and community education on correct use of mosquito nets. The mosquito net distribution and use stands at 12.8% percent in Uganda.
- Raise funds to donate rapid malaria test kits to health centers with the most inpatient and outpatient cases of malaria with the specific target of pregnant women and children.
- Spearhead private-public partnerships to promote correct malaria prevention and management practices among the most affected of communities through planting malaria resistant plants around communities, residual spraying, elimination of breeding places for mosquitoes.
- Raise funds and awareness of the VHT Global Grant.