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Niger’s Citizens Set to Benefit from Catholic Relief Services Grant to Fight Malaria

Catholic Bishops in the US have committed to support the fight against Malaria in Niger/ Credit: Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

By Mercy Maina

Niamey, 24 April, 2021 / 7:40 pm (ACI Africa).

Ahead of the World Malaria Day to be marked Sunday, April 25, the leadership of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has announced a grant to benefit citizens of the West African nation of Niger in their fight against Malaria.

In a Wednesday, April 21 statement obtained by ACI Africa, the leadership CRS (CRS) announced the contribution of US$3 million toward the fight against malaria in Niger, which in 2018 claimed the lives of more than 15,000 children under 5 years in the country.

In partnership with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, CRS leadership hopes that the grant will “save the lives of more than 400,000 children and reach more than 2 million people with enhanced malaria prevention and treatment services.”

“Around the world, each year Malaria strips thousands of children of their childhood,” CRS President and CEO, Sean Callahan has been quoted as saying in the April 21 statement, adding, “Providing this support for the Global Fund and the government of Niger will help us accelerate the end of malaria”

The agency that is governed by a board of U.S. Catholic Bishops and lay people, proving aid based on need, not creed has already saved the lives of 11,000 children globally, Ms. Callahan says, adding that CRS is optimistic that with the financial commitment in Niger, “so many more” lives will be saved.

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“Through the work of groups like the Global Fund, the number of global malaria deaths has been more than halved over the past 19 years, but Niger has seen a slight increase, from 16,814 deaths in 2000 to 17,022 deaths in 2019,” CRS officials note in their April 21 report.

The US$3 million funding will allow for an extension of the preventative medication known as seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) from four rounds to five, the officials of the 78-year-old humanitarian agency indicate.

They add, “This medication will be provided to three districts across Niger that have a longer transmission season and also experience high case and mortality rates of malaria among children under 5 years.”

They further report referencing the treatment, “SMC is a cost-effective approach that is normally administered by community health workers, especially in more rural areas. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, CRS has trained in-home caretakers on how to administer the medication, reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19.”

In 2020, the leadership of the Catholic agency that runs Malaria programs in 12 countries provided more than 4 million children across Niger with a full course of SMC medication, the statement indicates.

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“Our brothers and sisters in Niger are fighting against a disease that we can help put an end to,” CRS CEO says in the statement, adding, “As Catholics, we are called to stand beside them and assist in any way we can. This funding will help children receive simple medical care that could save their lives, giving them a chance to reach their full potential.”

The funding by the humanitarian entity, which has been working with the Global Fund on programs to address HIV, TB, and malaria since 2013 will also facilitate the purchase of new mosquito bed nets that are expected to “provide increased protection with a new insecticide, as there has been high resistance to the current insecticides used.”

CRS officials further note that the Malaria funding to Niger will “also pay for reinforced malnutrition screenings for children under five and a referencing and monitoring system for volunteer community health workers”

The partnership between CRS and the Global Fund in the fight against Malaria, HIV, and TB has benefited “more than 86 million people across countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” the April 21 report indicates.

Instituted during the World Health Assembly of 2007, World Malaria Day highlights the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.

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This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) will mark the Day by celebrating the achievements of countries that are approaching, and achieving, malaria elimination.

“The theme for this year is ‘Zero Malaria – Draw the Line against Malaria’ because every malaria case is preventable, and every malaria death is unacceptable,” WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said in his message for the Day issued Thursday, April 22.