For 2019 and the race to eliminate malaria, let’s truly be in it to win it
By Jacqueline Koch, Founder, Boost! Collective
Remember the adage: it’s a marathon, not a sprint
As we spring into 2019, will this be the year we collectively break the tragic record that marks an ongoing—yet preventable—global health tragedy?
Given recent funding trends, it’s hard to say. And here’s why: Imagine if Kipchoge was within a few feet from the finish line, and abruptly stopped, turned around and started walking in the other direction. Perhaps he gave into fatigue or simply lost interest. What if he figured that having run most of the race was good enough, just as he was poised to claim his extraordinary victory?
It’s unthinkable. But this is what is happening with malaria today. We are at a critical tipping point and within reach of eliminating an ancient scourge that claims the lives of approximately 445,000 people a year, 70 percent of whom are children under 5.
Now let’s get back again to Kipchoge, his race, and claiming a new world record. We can compare it to our significant advances in combatting malaria, through control and prevention and access to diagnosis and treatment, and through innovative drugs, vaccines, mosquito control products, and diagnostic tools. For every dollar we invest in malaria, there is a $36 return in increased productivity. In 2016 there were 21 million fewer malaria cases than in 2010. From 2007 to 2017, malaria deaths were cut by more than half. But global funding has stalled, and as a result, our advances have also stalled. Quite simply, we are putting the valuable and hard-won gains we’ve achieved at risk. This akin to Kipchoge racing toward the finish line, then turning around and walking away.
When I launched Boost! Collective, my goal was to continue to advance positive impact in global health. Working with the J. C. Flowers Foundation, we had the opportunity to tell the compelling story of “going the last mile” — the most difficult and important mile of them all.to eliminate malaria in southern Africa. By partnering with community faith leaders, the Foundation is pushing deep into the most remote and low-resource settings in the world and ensuring effective interventions acceptable and accessible to all.
As with the J.C. Flowers Foundation, we are convinced that we can eliminate malaria for good. It requires robust funding. It demands creative partnerships and collaboration. And we know that the most important stories—and the most valuable insights for viable solutions—come from the communities and their leaders who are on the front line of the fight. And the fight against malaria is ours to win as long as we intend to reach the finish line. Together, we can reach the last mile, for saving lives is a precious victory.
Boost! Collective Works:
When the Foundation brought a delegation of Anglican bishops from Southern Africa to the US and the UK to meet with policy leaders, Boost! Collective worked both sides of the Atlantic to connect with media — from the FT, AllAfrica.com and more—as well as thought leaders from Harvard Divinity School, Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health and Chatham House to tell the story.
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