Justine's story

When disaster strikes, families like Justine’s are forced to flee with nothing. They leave behind not only their homes but also the tools that protect them from deadly diseases like malaria. 

Justine was forced to flee her life in the Democratic Republic of Congo after her husband was killed and she was kidnapped by rebel forces. She managed to break free and run to safety, towards Uganda, with her two children. “When I left, everything remained behind because I had one of the children on my back and the other on my shoulder. I didn’t bring a single item,” she recalls. 

For families on the move, especially with young children under 5, the risk of malaria being deadly skyrockets. Without shelter or mosquito nets, they are exposed to malaria-carrying mosquitoes night after night. 

By the time Justine reached a refugee settlement in Uganda, her young son had developed a dangerously high fever. “When I got there, they tested him and found out he had malaria. He was treated and he recovered,” she says. But the danger wasn’t over. Soon after, her second child also fell ill. “The children were sick because I didn’t have the mosquito net I was using before in the Congo,” Justine added. 

In humanitarian crises, malaria is a silent killer. But it is also preventable. Refugee families urgently need access to testing, treatment, and insecticide-treated mosquito nets. These simple, lifesaving tools can prevent malaria outbreaks and save countless lives. 

Thanks to the availability of testing and treatment at the refugee camps in Uganda, a country that hosts 1.8m refugees, Justine’s children received the treatment they needed and recovered. Their survival was made possible by ongoing investment from world leaders into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, an essential lifeline that ensures the most vulnerable are not left behind during crises against the world’s biggest killer diseases. 

Maintaining strong investment in the Global Fund is critical to make sure we keep refugees like Justine and her small children safe.