Roll Back Malaria, Benin 2005
Provided support to purchase 30,000 bed nets to protect against malaria
In partnership with the WHO Benin
"I find the collaboration with Soroptimist International very positive, fruitful and optimistic, because it gives hope for many women with limited means and living in difficult conditions to face their own and their children's health problems. The collaboration with Soroptimist International is also a good learning experience for us, the partners in the project." Dr Dina Markitan Gbenou, World Health Organization, Bénin, Africa.
The 2005 December 10 Appeal was chosen for its relevance to SI's Programme Focus, the UN Millennium Development Goals and the WHO/UNICEF/World Bank/UNDP Roll Back Malaria initiative. The World Health Organization, with which SI has Official Relations status, consequently offered a highly appropriate partnership opportunity and a project was designed in Bénin, home to four Soroptimist clubs.
Malaria, which is a preventable and curable disease, kills one million people annually, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, a majority being children under five years old. It is estimated that every 30 seconds a child dies from the disease. Pregnant women are very vulnerable: some 10,000 pregnant women and 200,000 infants die every year as a result of malaria during pregnancy. Malaria also helps keep people poor: adults are too sick to work, and children cannot attend school.
The objective of Soroptimists Roll Back Malaria was to buy and distribute long lasting insecticide treated nets to pregnant women and young children in the community of Zè. Bénin Soroptimists would work with WHO Bénin and the Ministry of Health to educate the population about malaria prevention, and to evaluate the results of the intervention.
Soroptimists raised enough funds to order of 30,000 bed nets. Sufficient funds remained for the vital accompanying educational initiative and project evaluation. A public launch took place in Zè on 15 February 2007 at a televised event attended by President Lynn Dunning, Soroptimist delegations from Bénin and Togo, local dignitaries and officials, and several hundred women and children from the community.
Assiba's story
Assiba, aged 35, is a married mother of four children. All her family live in Zé in a modest house. She talks to us about the frequent bouts of fever suffered by Codjo, her youngest son, who is three years old.
Approximately every two months, Assiba notes that Codjo is tired, not playing as he usually does, not eating well and that his body is hot. He shivers, he vomits and sometimes he has diarrhoea. At their home, Assiba gives him herbal infusions which fail to help him, and then chloroquine. On the last occasion there was a new development: Codjo even had convulsions. Assiba was very scared, but thanks to the prompt assistance of the doctor and the workers at the health centre, Codjo recovered after four days in hospital.
Assiba told us that sometimes, one to two weeks after a child's illness, she has a fever herself with aching limbs and headaches. The health workers explain to her that it is malaria, treat her and give her advice. After attending an awareness seminar on the prevention of malaria, Assiba bought impregnated mosquito nets for all her family. In addition, she weeds the grass around the house and makes sure that there are no puddles of water which can harbour mosquito larvae.
Thanks to her efforts, Assiba's family is better now.
Community
Welcome to the on line world of Soroptimist International! This section will connect you to the global community of SI. For Soroptimists, log in to the members section for more resources and use on line reporting to tell us about your projects!
Click 
to donate a tweet a day to raise awareness about our work!
