WV Malawi signs $40 million grant for the fight against Malaria

World Vision signed a malaria grant of US$40 million from The Global Fund. The grant is part of US$460 million provided to the Republic of Malawi to help fight HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

The other recipients of the grant which is expected to run for two years, between January 2018 and December 2019, are Government of Malawi through Ministry of Health and Action Aid.

The signing ceremony took place in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital and was attended by Minister of Finance, Honourable Goodall Gondwe and Minister of Health, Honourable Atupele Muluzi. World Vision United States Director of Global Health, Dennis Cherin, co signed the grant for World Vision.

Head of Grant Management Division at the Global Fund, Mark Edington, said he was impressed to see the country gradually winning the fight against HIV, TB and Malaria.   

“The fact that we have put another US$460 million into Malawi demonstrates that we have seen results. Things are moving in the right direction,” Edington explained.

Minister of Health, Honourable Atupele Muluzi said that HIV, TB and Malaria remain the leading causes of deaths in Malawi. He said the country has managed to reduce the prevalence of the disease from 33% in 2014 to 24% in 2017.”

The Minister assured the Global Fund that government of Malawi and benefiting partners are going to do everything possible to ensure prudent and effective implementation of the grant.

Much of the grant that has been allocated to World Vision will be used to procure and distribute 10.9 million Long Lasting Insecticides Nets (LLINs) to 3.5 million households in all the 28 districts across Malawi.

Acknowledging the grant, World Vision Malawi National Director, Hazel Nyathi said the award shows the commitment by development partners and the Government to address the epidemic in the country.

The National Director indicated that there’s more that needs to be done to halt or reverse the incidence of malaria in Malawi.  The economic and social cost on the country needs to be evaluated and appreciated by stakeholders to show the impact of Malaria on Malawi. She also re-affirmed her commitment to strengthen internal controls to ensure high standards of accountability and compliance in implementing the grant.

This is the second successive period for World Vision Malawi to receive a grant from Global Fund. In January 2016 the organisation received an allocation of US$7,300,000 to implement a malaria program.

Statistics shared by World Health Organisation (WHO) 2016 report indicate that an estimated 429,000 malaria related deaths, occurred in 2015 worldwide.

At national level, the Malaria Communication Strategy indicates that 34% of outpatients who visit the hospital suffer from malaria and 24% fatalities are malaria related.

In 2015, Malawi lost 3,799 people due to malaria. Usage of mosquito nets stands at 55% at national level, a percent that the National Director indicated is still too low. WV Malawi will continue to lobby for more funding for Social Behavior Change interventions until the usage levels reach acceptable levels.