Watch and Listen to the Fight Against Malaria in Tanzania

On a recent trip to Tanzania with the United Nations Foundation, I visited churches, clergy, communities, and government uniting in the fight against malaria—and winning.

There, communities are mobilizing to fight one of the world’s most dangerous diseases: malaria. Our delegation met with officials from the Lutheran Malaria Initiative (LMI), supported by the UN Foundation, to witness Tanzania’s widespread success reducing malaria deaths. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, with a network of 6,000 congregations and a health care system, has used sermons, songs, Sunday School, raps, literature, and volunteers to educate 2 million people how to stay safe from malaria. Spreading awareness helps citizens equip themselves with mosquitoes’ No. 1 enemy: the insecticide-treated bed net.

Beyond the church, Tanzania’s National Malaria Control Program employs bed nets as well as indoor spraying, rapid diagnostic tests, disease tracking, and treatment to reduce illness and deaths from the disease. With the help of The Global Fund, the President’s Malaria Initiative, USAID, the UN Foundation, and other organizations, the island of Zanzibar is on its way to ending malaria for good.

The UN Foundation’s support of faith-based partners such as LMI connects American families with families across Africa—and keeps these families safe from this preventable disease. Watch LMI in action in our newest video!