Awards Ceremony for the Zanzibar Malaria Essay Contest

	Permanent Secretary Jiddawi speaking about his experience in Washington at the Malaria Summit with, left, Minister Suleiman and USAID Director Pamela White. Source: Kimberly Wylie/USAID

On January 8, 2007, Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, in conjunction with USAID, held an awards ceremony in Zanzibar for the best malaria essay written by a student in secondary school. The essay was a result of the excitement and education gained from the White House Summit on Malaria, held by President and Mrs. Bush on December 14, 2006, in Washington, D.C. The Summit gave the community a better understanding of the impact malaria has on Zanzibar, and the essay contest generated considerable interest from the local press and community.

The essays were written in English on the themes “What is malaria?”, “How has malaria affected your life?”, and “What would the benefits be to a world without malaria?”

The three essay contest winners, left to right, Halima, Ismail and Ali. Source: Kimberly Wylie/USAID

Over 10 secondary schools participated in the event. The three winners were Ismail Muhija Juma from Utaani Secondary School (Pemba), Ali Khamis Hamad from Fidel Castro Secondary School (Pemba), and Halima Saleh Omar from Mahonda Secondary School (Unguja). The prizes were a $5,000 scholarship for post-secondary education, a computer, and an iPod.

USAID Mission Director Pamela White and Permanent Secretary of Zanzibar Health Mohamed Jiddawi both attended the Malaria Summit. Permanent Secretary Jiddawi spoke during the essay contest awards ceremony about the thrill of participating in the Summit. In his speech at the Summit, he referred to malaria as Zanzibar’s “greatest scourge” but also added “it seems we’re finally on the verge of controlling malaria in Zanzibar.” Read Permanent Secretary Jiddawi's speech from the Malaria Summit.

	Secondary students in Zanzibar watching President Bush speak about Zanzibar’s PMI activities during the December Malaria Summit. Source: Kimberly Wylie/USAID

Permanent Secretary Jiddawi spent considerable time raising awareness with the press and students about what the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) represents within the Zanzibar context. The Minister of Education and Vocational Training, the Honorable Haroun A. Suleiman, thanked USAID for helping to “take Zanzibar to the world” and emphasized that “the students are our ambassadors – you are going to train, to educate, to be teachers about malaria prevention and treatment in society.” 

After reviewing a taped television clip of President Bush speaking about the Zanzibar program during the Summit (including, much to the delight of the Zanzibaris in attendance, his rendition of the Kiswahili antimalaria slogan “KATAA Malaria!” Reject Malaria!), the winning students and the government and USAID officials gave press interviews.