Speak up africa

Children are the most vulnerable to malaria and yet their voices often go unheard.

Change the Story puts children at the heart of the fight, amplifying their voices to inspire global action. Their experiences show us what’s working, what’s at risk, and why urgent action is needed.

Over the last two decades, the world has halved the death rate from malaria. But without more investment, we could lose that progress.

It’s time to Change the Story

Silivi is 10 years old. She and her family were forced to flee their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo when bombs began to destroy their home. Their journey to safety in Uganda was long and dangerous, which meant along the way, members of their family were killed by rebel forces. For days, they slept outside in the forest, exposed to the deadly bite of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. 

“We came with nothing. Not even a mosquito net,” Silvi says. “A bomb dropped and destroyed our house, so my parents and I had to run. We were rained on while asleep. While in the forest, we were bitten by insects and mosquitoes.” 

Uganda now hosts 1.8 million refugees. Among new arrivals, 30% test positive for malaria. As conflict across the region continues to escalate, more families like Silvi’s are being displaced, yet the resources needed to protect and treat them have not kept pace. 

Despite this growing pressure, every refugee arriving in Uganda is tested for malaria and receives treatment if needed. Silvi remembers falling ill when she reached Nakivale refugee settlement: “I was sick. My body started feeling different. I had a fever, I had a headache. I knew I was suffering from malaria.” 

Refugee families urgently need more access to testing, treatment, and mosquito nets. Preventing the spread of malaria during humanitarian crises not only saves lives, it helps contain disease and keeps all of us safer. 

Thanks to ongoing support from partners including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, frontline health workers in the refugee camps in Uganda are equipped to respond quickly, even in the most challenging settings. Maintaining strong contributions to the Global Fund is essential to ensuring life-saving tools reach the most vulnerable, especially during war and humanitarian crises, when the risk of malaria is even higher. 

Uganda

Silvine'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. 

Justine's story

When families are forced to flee their homes, they often leave everything behind — including protection from malaria.

Sleeping outdoors and without mosquito nets, they are exposed to deadly bites.

Access to testing, treatment and mosquito nets saves lives.

Protecting the most vulnerable 

Dr. Léa Paré Toé is a scientist dedicated to ending malaria through groundbreaking genetic research at Target Malaria in Burkina Faso. 

Having experienced the devastating impact of malaria firsthand, Léa is deeply driven to end it. “I see people suffering—my children, my sister. Malaria is a big burden for Africa,” she says. 

Léa’s research focuses on genetically modified mosquitoes to dramatically reduce malaria transmission. “We need to think outside the box. Our team decided to explore genetics to find lasting solutions,” she explains. 

"We need to come with something new. We need to use genetic science to control malaria," Her research employs gene drive technology to enhance specific genetic traits within mosquito populations, curbing their ability to transmit malaria. 

Only female mosquitoes transmit malaria because they bite humans to consume blood needed for egg production. "Genetically modified mosquitoes are designed to produce predominantly male offspring, drastically reducing the population of malaria-transmitting females and potentially leading to the local eradication of the disease-carrying mosquito population.” 

"Malaria kills children, destroys communities, and holds back our economy. Every year, countless hours of school and work are lost to malaria. Families spend what little they have on treatment instead of education or investing in their future, perpetuating a cycle of poverty," Dr. Toé explains. “Without malaria families would spend their money on other things. They would live better lives”. 

Léa emphasizes the importance of community understanding and acceptance for her work to succeed. “Transparency and education are key. Without community acceptance, innovation cannot succeed.” 

For Léa, eliminating malaria is an achievable goal, within reach in her lifetime. "Malaria is not stronger than us scientists in Africa, and it is certainly not stronger than the will of our communities. With innovation, education, and empowered communities, we have everything we need to end malaria—for good." 

Burkina Faso

Léa's story

We are at a critical crossroads. Resistance to current tools, extreme weather, humanitarian crises, and a lack of funding are putting the opportunity toend malaria at risk.

New data shows that without increased investment; malaria could kill 337,000 more people in Africa. 80% of themchildren.

Malaria also puts pressure on weak health systems and hides other diseases that could cause future pandemics. By ending malaria we can help protect everyone, everywhere.

The perfect storm

For the first time in history, we have the tools to change the course of malaria

. From next-generation mosquito nets and new life-saving drugs to the world’s first malaria vaccines, innovation is transforming what’s possible. And with cutting-edge research underway — including genetically modified mosquitoes designed to stop transmission at source— the tools of tomorrow are already within reach.

But tools alone are not enough. We need strong leadership and investment to get these tools to the people who need them most.

A fully funded Global Fund will save lives, stop malaria, and make health systems stronger.

Ending malaria is still within reach 

For King, a young dancer from Uganda and a member of the world-famous Ghetto Kids, malaria is a disease that has caused him deep personal loss. 

“The first time I got to understand that malaria was deadly was when my best friend got sick. He was feeling a headache and they found out he had malaria.” At first, King didn’t worry, he assumed malaria was easily treatable. But his friend never got better. “Then his mother came to our place... She was like, ‘your friend has died.’ I didn’t believe it. I went to their home, and I saw the body lying.” 

King still carries the bracelet his friend gave him. “That’s when I realised that malaria is not a common disease.” 

Asked what he misses most about his friend, King smiles softly: “He was a funny guy... when I was sad, he used to come with food... and I forgot about my sadness.” Most of all, King remembers, “He’s one of the people that taught me how to dance.” 

Every minute, a child dies from malaria, a disease that is both preventable and treatable. Children are the most vulnerable to it, especially in places like Uganda, where it remains one of the leading killers of under-fives. And yet, their voices are too often unheard in global health decisions. 

The Change the Story campaign puts children like King at the heart of the malaria fight, amplifying their voices to inspire global action. Their stories reveal what’s working, what’s at risk, and why urgent action is needed. 

For King, dance has offered hope and a future. “I used not like to stay at home, I used not to have friends. But right now I have friends, and international friends too,” he says. Through dance, he’s travelled the world, performed on global stages like America’s Got Talent, and gained the chance of an education. “Dance has provided me with a lot of things, like clothes, shelter... education.” 

To protect children like King’s friend, the world must step up. In 2025, we have a crucial opportunity to get the malaria fight back on track. Maintaining strong contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is essential to ensuring life-saving tools reach the people who need them most. 

With continued investment from world leaders, we will have a game-changing toolkit: next-generation mosquito nets, new treatments, vaccines and even breakthrough research. With this we can end malaria and save millions of children’s lives. 

King's story

At just 10 years old, Zoe has already witnessed the toll malaria can take on a child’s life. Living in Côte d'Ivoire, a country hard hit by malaria, she has grown up with malaria as a constant threat. A threat not just to her health, but to her education, her dreams, and her community. 

“Malaria makes us miss school, miss play, and even lose our lives,” she says. “When I had malaria I had to miss school for three days, I missed a lot of stuff at school as I had a test the next day. I had a lot of headaches. My body was so weak, I could not walk even to go to the bathroom” 

Zoe’s experience with malaria is not unique. Across Africa, children are the most vulnerable to malaria and yet their voices often go unheard. That’s why Change the Story is putting children like Zoe at the heart of a new film and fight to end this deadly disease. By amplifying their experiences to inspire urgent action from leaders. 

Despite huge progress over the last two decades — which has seen malaria death rates halved, we are now at a dangerous crossroads. We now face a dangerous resurgence of malaria, fuelled by a perfect storm: resistance to current tools, extreme weather events, humanitarian crises, and a global funding shortfall. 

Modelling from the Malaria Atlas Project warns that without increased investment, an additional 337,000 lives could be lost to malaria in Africa. 80% of those would be children. 

For girls like Zoe, the burden is especially heavy. “When I get malaria, my mum has to stop work to take care of me,” she says. “It makes me sad because we both lose out.” 

Girls and women often bear the brunt of malaria by missing school, work, as the burden of caregiving often falls on them. This is a disease that holds children back from achieving their dreams and their full potential. 

Zoe’s message is clear: “We need help to end malaria for good. We want to grow up healthy, go to school, and become who we want to be.” 

By listening to Zoe and children like her, we can change the story. Sustained investment in malaria control is not only lifesaving, it’s a frontline of defence for global health security and our shared future. 

Côte d'Ivoire

Zoe's story

Growing up in Uganda, Krystal witnessed first-hand the devastating impact of malaria. "Almost one in three children didn’t make it to the age of five," she recalls. One night, watching her mother try to cool down her convulsing five-year-old brother, Krystal knew there was medicine, but her family couldn’t afford it. "All we could do was pray." 

That reality changed when the Global Fund came to Uganda while she was a teenager. With free mosquito nets, treatment, and community health training, for the first time, being poor didn’t have to mean dying from malaria. Inspired by this transformation, Krystal became an entomologist and joined Target Malaria. She is now working on a project developing genetically modified mosquitoes using gene drive technology to help reduce malaria transmission. 

“Gene drive ensures the modifications we make, like reducing mosquito fertility, are passed on efficiently to future generations,” Krystal explains. “It makes the technology more sustainable and impactful.” 

But science alone isn’t enough. Community engagement is at the heart of Target Malaria’s work. From translating genetics into local languages to holding open dialogues with villages, Krystal’s team ensures people understand and support the innovation that could help transform the fight against malaria. 

Krystal also emphasises the role of African scientists in malaria research. “We’re closest to the problem. Our perspective brings trust, relevance and urgency.” She hopes more women and girls will join her in science, and calls for workplaces that support them to do that. 

Despite progress, malaria remains the number one killer of children under five in Uganda. But Krystal is hopeful. “We have all these new tools being developed. We have new insecticides, new vaccines and genetically modified mosquitoes… we have a real shot at malaria elimination. It’s just going to be a matter of commitment.” 

She urges global leaders to sustain funding through mechanisms like the Global Fund, especially as we approach the institution’s replenishment. She concludes, “We will not achieve malaria elimination without funding… we need leaders to commit and to honour the commitments that their countries have made before.” 

Krystal's story

goodbye malaria

Gloria, ten, lives in Boane, Mozambique with her parents, seventeen-year-old brother, and fourteen-year-old sister. When the cyclone hit their village, Gloria remembers being woken up by her father as heavy rains began. 

“When we left the house, the water level was up to our necks,” says Gloria, “when that happened, I was scared.” Her father gathered the family, and they headed for higher ground – to her grandparents’ house. It was packed with aunts, uncles and cousins, all looking for a safe place to sleep. 

A month passed before the family could return to their home. “It was full of water,” says Gloria. The house was in ruins and many valuable and personal items were missing. “A doll was lost that my father gave me for my birthday,” she says, “I was sad.” 

Their mosquito net was gone, carried away by the flood – and the lingering water had created a perfect environment for mosquitoes to breed and spread malaria. 

Not long after returning home, Gloria remembers the headaches and pains and having to go to hospital. “The place was flooded by water. It's then that I got malaria.” 

Malaria cases in the area increased after the floods, and families are still dealing with the debilitating and deadly disease regularly, putting pressure on already struggling health services. “There’ were shortages of medicines due to the increase in malaria cases, s,” says Isaura, “We have to go to several hospitals to find medication.” 

A year after the cyclone, the family are still rebuilding what they have lost. “We used to have trees that were producing fruit for us, and shade,” says Isaura. “Every time it floods, we have to start from zero again.” Isaura says her community is facing increasingly extreme weather. “Previously when it rained it was useful for agriculture. Now, when it rains, it pours. It seems like it rains for destruction.” 

Malaria programmes must receive more funding to stay resilient in the face of extreme weather events. Isaura says people need to be provided with more mosquito nets and more medication to fight malaria. “We really need mosquito nets. Because of the floods, they got really dirty. The mud destroyed them.” 

“Malaria kills,” she says, “We want to have it eliminated at once. It kills. We need more prevention measures.” 

As a mother, Isaura believes it’s important to listen to children’s experiences with malaria. “Their experience can help other children, so they know how to protect themselves,” she says. “Only someone who has had it can explain what it feels like.” 

Mozambique

Gloria and Rosa’s story  

ALMA

Filette is 14 years old and lives on the outskirts of Kigali in Rwanda. Like so many children in her community, she knows the burden of malaria all too well. When she fell sick from the disease most recently, she had to miss school, including important end-of-year exams. 

“I had to take all my exams at once when I came back,” Filette explains. “It was really stressful. You can’t score well when you’re taking them all at the same time.” 

But missing exams was only part of the problem – for many families, malaria has a heavy financial impact. 

Filette’s mother doesn’t have a regular income, and caring for her daughter meant staying home, unable to go out and look for work. “She couldn’t leave me alone when I was sick,” Filette says. For families like hers, missing a day’s work can mean losing the money needed to get by, which they can ill afford when there are medical bills to pay. 

Filette is hopeful about what a malaria-free future could look like. “It would be amazing if no one got sick from malaria anymore. All the children would play freely and not miss classes. No one would die from the disease. Hospitals wouldn’t be filled with people who are critically ill, and families wouldn’t lose money trying to get treated. Every child would be happy.” 

Filette pauses and adds: “Sometimes, when you have malaria, you feel like you’re going to die.” 

The facts back up the weight of her words. In Rwanda alone, there were just over 500,000 malaria cases and over 3,349 deaths reported in 2023. Though the country has made significant progress that has seen an 87% reduction in cases since 2017, there’s still work to do. 

For those who underestimate the devastation that malaria can bring or think it isn’t dangerous, Filette has a message. “Many children do die from it. But I’m a survivor - you have a reason to hear my story.” 

Thankfully for Filette and future generations of children, Rwanda is leading the fight to reach zero malaria – thanks in a large part to the 60,000 community health workers that have been deployed across the country. These workers have been critical to reducing the number of malaria cases and hospital admissions by giving people like Filette rapid access to testing and treatment. Without them people often reach medical help too late, risking their lives. 

Thanks to determination and leadership over the past few years Rwanda is on track to reduce malaria incidence by 90% by 2030. If this continues, reaching zero malaria in Rwanda may become a reality. 

Rwanda

Filette’s Story

PROMOFIX 

Adeline, a journalist and devoted single mother of two in rural Bugesera, Rwanda, faced one of the most distressing moments of her life when her daughter Tania became gravely ill with severe malaria. 

Rushing from work after receiving a panicked message from Tania’s school, Adeline found her daughter burning with a high fever of 39.8°C, dehydrated, and shaking. The hospital told her Tania’s condition was critical, with her organs at risk due to the lack of oxygen. 

“I was so stressed out, I couldn’t walk, talk, or even reach out to family for support. All I could think about was saving my daughter… I thought I was losing her,” Adeline recalls. For eight hours, doctors struggled to stabilise Tania's condition. 

The ordeal took a toll on Adeline’s emotional and financial well-being. Without health insurance, Adeline was forced to pay for private hospital care, and as Tania’s only care giver she couldn’t work for three weeks – further straining her ability to provide for her family. 

Malaria remains a persistent problem in Adeline’s community, where mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Yet, there is hope. Adeline is grateful for the Rwandan government's thorough efforts to combat the disease. She talks about the use of drones to spray mosquito-infested areas and the regular spraying of homes with insecticide to kill the deadly Anopheles mosquito, which transmits the malaria parasite. The government also goes door to door with leaflets and information that encourage residents to sleep under mosquito nets and keep their surroundings clear from overgrown bushes and stagnant water. 

Adeline believes that protecting vulnerable groups, especially children and pregnant women, is crucial for the future of the country. 

Adeline is full of hope that Tania, who has struggled with asthma from a young age, will fulfil her dream of becoming a doctor and helping others. Inspired by the medical care she received, she hopes one day Tania will be saving lives from malaria, helping to make her mother’s vision for a healthier future for all a reality. 

Adeline’s Story 

miramar

Jose and Anabela are parents to four children: Marta, fourteen, William, ten, Etelvino, seven, and Nassima, one. The memory of the cyclone that hit their community, Boane, when Anabela was nine months pregnant with baby Nassima is fresh in their minds. 

Anabela remembers being woken by a neighbour in the early hours of the morning to find water rapidly rising around their homes. “With the help of neighbours, we had to improvise a ladder. They all went up.” As her children climbed onto the roof, Anabela gathered important documents and personal items from inside the home before they were destroyed. She was reluctant to climb due to her advanced pregnancy – but as the water rose, she had no choice. “I couldn’t stand it, I was already tired,” she says, “My belly was big, but God gave me strength. I climbed on top of the roof. We stayed there for hours.” 

Jose, working a night shift at the time, had no idea of the situation his wife and children were in. He remembers calling Anabela that morning. “I called her: ‘how are things there at home?’ She said, ‘we’re on top of the house’! I asked, ‘What do you mean you’re on top of the house?’ She said, ‘It’s bad here’.” 

Jose struggled to reach his family due to the flooding and chaos. “I tried to come here, I tried to come here – because what was hurting me was, she was pregnant.” But hours passed before boats were able to rescue those who were stranded and Jose could reunite with his wife and children. 

It was a week before the family could return to their home, but the ordeal wasn’t over. The floodwater had receded, but large amounts of sitting water remained - a perfect breeding ground for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.“After the cyclone a lot of malaria emerged,” says Anabela. 

“When my children got sick with malaria, I suffered a lot,” says Jose, “Their mother was also suffering from malaria. She was really suffering. She was shaking and grinding her teeth. I thought she was about to die.” 

“I had a one-month-old baby, it wasn’t easy,” says Anabela, “I went to the hospital, there was no medicine – in fact, there was medicine – just that the medicine had finished because so many people were going there diagnosed with malaria.” 

The rampant sickness in the aftermath of the cyclone was apparent at the overstretched hospital. “Hospitals were always crowded, children and adults sleeping, lying on the ground,” says Jose, “It was terrifying, it was really sad.” 

“It wasn’t easy, to work, to eat, to take care of the children,” says Anabela, “I was afraid they would die, and if I die – the children, my husband, who was going to take care of them? Leaving my little children, my baby, especially as she was one month old. That disease is terrifying.” 

Luckily, Jose and Anabela were able to obtain medicine for their children and for Anabela, and in time each made a full recovery. The experience was traumatic for the family. Jose still wakes in the middle of the night to anxiously check his children’s mosquito nets are in place. “I’m very afraid, very afraid of malaria that could one day return again, for me or my family,” he says. 

Anabela and Jose appreciate the incredible efforts of programmes focused on their community, such as insecticide spraying interventions provided by TchauTchau Malaria that they say help keep malaria at bay. But as the climate changes, extreme weather events that wash away insecticide and leave homes plagued by dangerous stagnant water are becoming more common. To be able to cope with these challenges, malaria programmes and health systems need more funding. 

Innovative tools like the new malaria vaccines – alongside other tools such as mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying - are a beacon of hope to worried parents like Jose and Anabela. “If I hear that there is a vaccine to eliminate malaria, I will rush to get the vaccine with my family,” Jose says. “I’d take my whole family to get the vaccine.” 

Jose and Anabela’s story

IN STORE MEDIA

IMEDIACENTER

PHENIX DIGITAL

Adelaide, 48, is a mosquito's worst nightmare. As Chief Sprayer, she runs the ‘Indoor Residual Spraying’ (IRS) programme for TchauTchau (goodbye) Malaria in Boane, Mozambique – leading an all-female team of sprayers. 

Spraying with insecticide is a highly effective method to kill mosquitoes and stop the breeding cycle, but only if at least 80% of the houses within a targeted area are sprayed. That’s why it’s so important that Adelaide and her team are known and trusted. Before each spraying campaign, they go door-to-door to talk to the residents about the programme. 

“It’s really important that the community know when the spraying will take place,” Adelaide says, “They also need to know how to prepare their homes, covering things to protect them from the insecticide.” 

“It’s a challenge to reach everyone because people leave early in the morning to work in the fields, and they don't come back till late in the evening. Sometimes, we have to leave information leaflets on their doors.” 

Once a house has been sprayed, it’s marked with a sticker on the wall – that's how the team keeps track of their progress towards the 80% goal. 

“When Cyclone Freddy hit Boane, it was really difficult,” Adelaide explains, “Many houses were destroyed. The insecticide that we had sprayed previously had been washed away by the floods. And lots of water meant lots of mosquitoes. So, we had to spray everything again to protect our communities.” 

“After the floods, malaria cases went up. Malaria took a very heavy toll on this community. Children died. We know that if you can catch malaria early it saves lives. But one of the challenges we face with children is that they can struggle to explain their symptoms.” 

Tragically, Adelaide knows first-hand the pain of losing a child to the disease. Recently, her niece was diagnosed with malaria at a local clinic. “We rushed her to hospital, but she didn't survive... she was just 16 years old.” 

“This is why spraying is important,” says Adelaide, “because malaria is a very dangerous disease that kills.” 

The impact she can have on her community as a woman with a leading role in malaria control is fulfilling for Adelaide. “I’m very proud of my work. It’s important for women to be involved. A lot of us are mums. We have a maternal instinct. A strong sense of wanting to protect and care for our community.” 

“We are also role models for the community. I’m proud to be able to provide for my family and give them security. And I’m proud of my team. We set an example for young people – especially girls.” 

Adelaide's Story

CLEAR CHANNEL

Claudine and her two sons, Shema and Joshua, live on the outskirts of Kigali. This past summer, all three fell sick with malaria – one after the other. For Claudine, the experience was overwhelming. 

It began with Claudine. “I had a fever, joint pain, and felt very unwell.” She had to go to a private clinic to get tested properly. Then there was Shema – while at school, his teacher noticed he wasn’t feeling well and called Claudine. “At first, I thought it was just a cold,” Claudine says, “But by the evening he had a fever, so I decided to take him to the hospital the next morning.” 

Shema remembers that day: “They took two blood samples, and then they told me I had malaria. I felt really sick. I know malaria can have serious effects; you can have it for a long time. And you can die.” 

Not long after Shema, Joshua fell ill too. “He went to sleep fine one night, but when he woke up he had a fever and a headache.” By that point, Claudine knew exactly what it was. “I took him immediately to the hospital.” 

Having three family members sick at the same time was incredibly hard for Claudine. She still had to care for the household, prepare Shema for school, and manage medical expenses – which can be much higher at private clinics. “Sometimes, you don’t have enough money. But when you have a sick child, friends will help — no one refuses to lend you money in an emergency.” 

For Shema, the impact on his education was significant. After missing school, he returned to take his exams – but he wasn't out of the woods yet. “The teacher said I should keep him at home to recover,” Claudine recalls. “They agreed to combine his exam results with the ones he managed to take. But it still affected his education a lot.” 

The economic consequences of malaria weighed heavily on Claudine, too. “When your child gets sick from malaria, you can’t go to work at all. Caring for your child comes first. Any money you were saving for something else, like school fees, has to go to medicine.” 

From the past to the present: progress and hope 

Claudine grew up in rural Rwanda, where access to malaria treatment was vastly different. “Back then, it was hard to find anyone in the village who even had 1,000 Francs,” she says. “We didn’t have transport to hospitals, and people didn’t understand malaria. We used traditional medicine instead, and it caused complications.” 

Today, Claudine knows the importance of proper prevention and treatment. “We fight malaria by sleeping under mosquito nets, and clearing stagnant water nearby,” she explains. “We also close our windows by 5:30 PM so mosquitoes can’t get inside.” Individuals taking these simple measures, along with the Rwandan Government’s determination to take action against the disease -combined with treatment at a community level - has led to a dramatic fall in malaria cases. 

Rwanda has seen great progress fighting malaria in recent years thanks in a large part to the national team of community health workers - 60,000 strong -who are delivering critical care directly to families close to home.

“I would be very happy if there was no more malaria. It would mean healthier children, families with fewer worries, and no one missing school or work because of this disease,” says Claudine. 

For 8 year old Shema, the ask is simple: “People need to fight malaria because it can kill you. Medicine should be provided so we can be cured.” 

Claudine, Shema, and Joshua’s Story

JC DECAUX

Suzy is Miskito, an Indigenous community from Central America.

Suzy she has seen thousands of patients, either testing or treating them for malaria, since she became a community health volunteer two decades ago.

“Every week there are 25 people, almost 30. I love my people. They come to my house, and I look after them at night, in the morning, at whatever time,” she says. “I look after everyone, regardless of where they come from.”

“I take blood samples do rapid diagnostic tests and I diagnose. I then give them tablets straight away,” she says.

In 2020 COVID-19 hit, and later that same year Tropical Storm Eta ripped through the country followed by Hurricane Iota only two weeks later. The deadly storms closed health units, including facilities providing malaria services. Surveillance and tracing of malaria cases had to be scaled back, and less people were visiting clinics for testing and treatment due to fear of contracting COVID-19.

In 2020, rather than recording a decrease in cases as Honduras had done nearly every year for the last two decades, the number of malaria cases recorded increased.

Honduras

Suzy

947 

In a rural Rwandan village, 56-year-old Venuste tends to his small farm, growing maize, bananas, cassava, and beans. Like many in his community, his livelihood is tied to both the unpredictable weather and the health of his family. 

Over recent years, shifting weather patterns have made farming increasingly challenging, and with that, the ever-present threat of malaria has weighed heavily on him and his community. However, thanks to the dedicated work of community health workers, the battle against malaria has started to shift. 

Venuste recalls the early 2000s as a turning point when weather became erratic. Harsh dry seasons withered his crops, while other years brought floods that drowned them. “When the weather is extreme, it’s hard to grow enough food for my family,” Venuste says, “I have to work harder so we don’t starve.” 

In 2014, Rwanda experienced a resurgence of malaria. Community health workers had not yet been introduced in rural communities, making the disease even more dangerous. Without local health workers, people stayed home when they fell ill, afraid of the cost and distance to hospitals. “By the time someone reached the hospital, it was often too late,” Venuste explains. 

Today, things have changed for the better. Venuste’s village now has four community health workers, giving families quick and easy access to malaria tests and treatment. Venuste emphasises how important this is: “You can test for malaria at home or at the local health centre. You can quickly get the information and take action to look after yourself.” 

Malaria remains a threat, particularly for farmers like Venuste who work in swampy areas – perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The irrigation systems that keep crops like bananas alive also create stagnant water, where mosquitoes thrive. 

Despite these challenges, Venuste feels better prepared to protect his family. “Community health workers are like parents—they are there whenever we need help,” he says. In addition to relying on communiyt health workers, Venuste takes preventive measures at home. He ensures his family sleeps under mosquito nets, clears the area around his house of bushes and stagnant water, and seeks treatment promptly when they fall ill. 

Venuste’s message to leaders is clear: "Give community health workers everything they need because they are making a real difference in helping us fight malaria.” 

Thanks to the efforts of community health workers and the distribution of mosquito nets and other malaria fighting tools, Venuste believes that many lives have been saved in his village. 

Venuste’s story

Marsabait County in Northern Kenya, is one of the country’s largest counties. Observed changes in rainfall patterns have reportedly led to more mosquito breeding sites in new places. This region had suffered from extreme drought for 2 years. When the rainfall returned it resulted in malaria outbreaks.

Adam Abdi shares, "Sometimes I get malaria, I take paracetamol and it goes away. But this time I was throwing up, I had a fever and joint pains, it had been almost ten years since I'd had it as bad as this."

Kenya

Adam Abdi 

“Every single minute a child dies from malaria. It is a terrible disease that impacts the future of young people like me, by disrupting our lives, education and opportunities.

Changing weather around the world is making malaria even harder to control.

As children we have a clear message; we need governments around the world to take action and invest now to end malaria within our lifetime.”

Ellyanne Wanjiku Chlystun

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“In the past, we knew that during the winter there would be no rain,” says Celina. “But nowadays it has become… normal.”

Most of Celina’s neighborhood in Boane District, Mozambique, was under water. The area had already been impacted by flooding, but the situation intensified with the arrival of Cyclone Freddy, the longest lasting tropical cyclone in recorded history.

After sheltering at a school for 10 days, Celina and her children returned home, where they found all of their belongings covered in mud and ruined by water. The family’s crops had been destroyed.

People then started to get seriously ill, including Celina’s two young daughters.

“We didn’t have mosquito nets. We were just fleeing from water in our houses,” she said. “I didn’t want to believe the truth. But when I arrived at the hospital, that is when I saw that it was malaria.”

For Celina, hearing the news that both of her daughters had malaria was terrifying. Just six months before the cyclone hit, her 35-year-old husband Maxaieie came home late from work, sick with a fever.

“That is when I realized that I’m alone now. I’m the father and the mother of my kids” she says.

After both of Celina’s daughters were tested for malaria and rapidly put on treatment, they both made full recoveries.

Celina Tembe

Meet David and Shakira, two talented young dancers from Kigali, Rwanda, members of Grammy Award-winning Sherrie Silver's dance troupe. For them, dance isn’t just a hobby – it’s a source of joy and strength. 

“Dance makes me happy. It allows me to forget why I might be feeling sad,” says David, 12, while Shakira, 11, chimes in with her dreams: “I want to be a worldwide dancing superstar.” 

But like many children in Rwanda, their journey hasn’t been without the challenge of fighting off malaria. Both David and Shakira have had malaria recently, a potentially deadly disease that still burdens everyone in their community. 

“Having malaria was a difficult time for me because I couldn't go out to play or go to school. I really missed school. I hate malaria,” shares David. For Shakira, the story is also familiar. “I stayed in my bed, I couldn't go out, I couldn't eat anything, if I ate I would just throw up.” 

Malaria is a horrible disease, but one that Rwanda has made progress against in recent years.

David and Shakira are part of this change. They know the importance of protecting themselves and their community. “Now I sleep in the super net [next-generation bed net], I use anti-malaria cream, and I take the medicine and water whenever I get it,” says Shakira. 

Behind this progress is a collective effort. Rwanda has trained around 60,000 community health workers, with 30,000 focusing on home-based malaria management. This has significantly reduced severe malaria cases and hospital admissions. The government has also increased spending in the health sector, demonstrating a real commitment to ending malaria. 

David and Shakira’s stories remind us of the misery malaria can bring, but also what is possible. With more investment from our leaders, combined with greater awareness and action, we can help make sure that children everywhere have the chance to grow up healthy and chase their dreams. 