Zoe's story
Côte d'Ivoire
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.
