Description
To achieve the goal of malaria elimination, underserved populations at risk need to be brought to the forefront of malaria control. In many societies heavily afflicted by malaria today, women and girls remain disproportionately disadvantaged by the burden of malaria. People of childbearing potential suffer the largest proportion of new malaria cases after children under age five; and across the world, 130 million women and girls are at risk of malaria during pregnancy, which can have devastating consequences for the mother and baby. However, malaria control tools are too often insufficiently adapted, available, or accessible to adequately protect women and girls from this disease, particularly during pregnancy. Addressing gender inequalities in malaria-endemic settings has the potential to accelerate burden reduction and disease elimination. In addition, there are areas of malaria programming that, if intentionally designed and implemented, have the potential to contribute to enhancing gender equality as an objective in and of itself. This has been referred to as the “double dividend” in the fight against malaria.
This session will address the “double dividend” in the fight against malaria and will (1) raise awareness of the unmet needs of women in malaria, (2) highlight solutions and good practices in selected critical areas, such as leadership, research, prevention & treatment, community engagement, health workforce, and (3) explore opportunities for further engagement and collaboration.
• What are the challenges and expected benefits in reaching all women and girls to malaria elimination?
• How can gaps in malaria leadership be addressed?
• How can we better protect women and girls through and not from research?
• How can malaria treatment and prevention programmes be improved to reach all women and girls in need?
• What initiatives are needed at the community level?
We are proposing a full session on the topic with the following proposed panelists/presenters. Moderation: Women in Global Health Switzerland
• Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, Director, Global Malaria Programme, WHO or Dr Dorothy Achu, WHO Regional Malaria Advisor, WHO AFRO or Director, National Malaria Programme Manager, WHO Country Office (country tbd)
• Ms Andrea Lucard, Chief Officer, Corporate Strategy and Affairs, Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
• Dr Sophie Diarra, Scientific Collaborator, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)
• Dr Damaris Matoke-Muhia, Programme Manager, Capacity Building, Gender Mainstreaming and Career Progression, Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA)
• Ms Olivia Ngou, Co-Founder and Coordinator, Global Network of Civil Society for Malaria Elimination (CS4ME)
The session will be organized in partnership with other organizations to enlarge the outreach and impact. A policy brief or article will be produced after the session to capture the insights from speakers and a comms plan is drawn up for dissemination through the global WGH network and other partners involved.
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