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PMI in Mali

Under a unique public-private partnership with the American Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and others, the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), through USAID, provided $1 million for the purchase of 169,800 long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets (LLINs) as part of a national child survival campaign in Mali conducted in December 2007. USAID is providing additional support for malaria prevention through community mobilization and follow-up efforts. The integrated child health campaign vaccinated more than 2.8 million children against measles and polio; provided de-worming treatments and vitamin A to children and new mothers; and distributed more than 2 million LLINs to protect families from malaria. U.S. Malaria Coordinator Rear Adm. Tim Ziemer attended the campaign launch with Mali's President Amadou Toumani Touré.

In addition to USAID/Mali, key partners in the campaign include ExxonMobil, the Measles Initiative (The United Nations Foundation, WHO, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Red Cross), the Canadian Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies, Malaria No More, Nothing But Nets, Major League Soccer (MLS), the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Milian government agencies, and numerous local nongovernmental and faith-based organizations.

Prior to the campaign, health workers and trained volunteers from Assistance Technique Nationale Santé/USAID; the Mali Red Cross and Canadian Red Cross; Helen Keller International; the Ministry of Social Development, Solidarity and the Elderly; the National Federation of Community Health Associations; Population Services International; the Network of Traditional Communicators; and journalists from local media informed families about the importance of vaccinations and proper health care. Additionally, trained volunteers will follow up the campaign by continuing to educate families on proper use and care of their insecticide-treated nets and encouraging families to use routine services such as vaccinations in their local health centers.

Key influencers attending the campaign from the United States included Muslim-American scholars, leaders, and activists representing the Islamic Society of North America, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Ministry of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, and the Muslim Students' Association National, and the United Methodist Church. Also attending were sports representatives Diego Gutierrez, midfielder for MLS' Chicago Fire; Dwayne De Rosario, midfielder for MLS' Houston Dynamo and MLS Cup 2007 MVP; and Ruth Riley, center for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars, two-time WNBA champion, and Olympic gold medalist.

Rear Adm. Ziemer was also featured in a guest column on allAfrica.com by Dr. Steven Phillips, Medical Director, ExxonMobil, titled “How the Malaria World Benefits from an Admiral.”

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