Malaria Communities Program Launched
 
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2009 (Addis Ababa) – Today the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with Fayyaa Integrated Development Association (FIDA) launched a malaria prevention and treatment program as part of the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Malaria Communities Program.  The program will benefit more than 1.7 million Ethiopians by increasing community awareness about malaria prevention and control.

The program, worth U.S. $1.5 million over three years, aims to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality in Jimma, Illuababor and East Shoa Zones of the Oromiya Region.  The malaria prevention and treatment program implemented by FIDA will focus particularly on extending malaria prevention and control activities in communities most affected by malaria, with specific attention to pregnant mothers and children under five years old.

Oromiya Regional Health Bureau Head Shalo Dhaba and representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health joined USAID Acting Mission Director Nancy Estes for the official launch held at the Ghion Hotel. In her remarks, Ms. Estes said, “Ethiopia has made tremendous strides in scaling up malaria prevention and control efforts.  Now is exactly the time to keep up the momentum and continue to save lives.”    

The malaria prevention and treatment program will increase community awareness to create demand for and increase the use of key malaria interventions, as well as improve the quality of malaria diagnosis and treatment services in private facilities.  It will also link to existing health services, integrating malaria prevention and control programs to antenatal care clinics, prevention of mother to child transmission services, and existing FIDA HIV/AIDS prevention and home and community-based care services.  As part of the program, FIDA also plans to improve the capacity of civic based organizations, faith based organizations, and Health Extension Workers to bolster malaria prevention and treatment support at the community level, getting key malaria messages to households.

The program is funded by the American people through PMI, an initiative which aims to halve malaria deaths in 15 African countries using proven malaria interventions. PMI is a collaborative U.S. Government effort led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of State, and the White House. Activities supported by PMI in Ethiopia primarily focus on Oromiya Regional State, the country’s largest administrative regional state and the regional state bearing the brunt of the country’s malaria burden. Activities are planned and implemented in close collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health and the Oromia Regional Health Bureau. 

“FIDA is an indigenous organization with six years experience implementing community level health and other development programs in more than three regions in Ethiopia.  FIDA emphasizes community capacity building in its programs, developing community ownership and strengthening stakeholder partnerships,” said FIDA Executive Director Anbessu Tolla during the ceremony.