From Addis to Accra, Maputo to Marrakech, a call to regional malaria heroes

The world’s second-largest continent is where malaria wreaks most of its devastation: Over 90% of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa. Despite the encouraging progress over the last fifteen years, the challenge remains massive in scope, requiring people around the world to work together to mount and sustain the necessary response.

Here are three people – malaria heroes – working to defeat malaria in Africa:

• Dr Melissa Kapulu is a passionate malaria communicator and researcher from Zambia, working hard in the lab, on social media, and in communities. Her work against malaria fulfills a childhood dream, taking her from Zambia to Oxford, back to Zambia, and now to Kenya, where she works with the Wellcome Trust. Described as a rare “hybrid” of gifted communicator and great scientist, we’re honored to have Dr Kapulu among our nominees.

• Josiah Kavuma, the founder and lead developer at Matibabu, is using technology to mount a fight against malaria. With his team, he has created a malaria phone app, developed an innovative non-invasive diagnostic tool, and maintains an active presence on social media. Josiah has shared his message in large and small venues: He spoke at a TEDtalk event, but also engages his local community in conversation about the importance of malaria testing. His multi-faceted advocacy – from apps to community engagement to social media to research – more than qualifies him to be on this line up of regional malaria advocates!

• Simon Kamm is a multilingual freelance journalist based in Portugal, with years of experience in covering development, human rights, diplomacy in Africa. Simon actively disseminates malaria-related information on social media. His experience spans many interrelated sectors, making his reporting and social media presence a fine example of connecting dots across silos.

With one month left to go until nominations close there’s still time to add to this trio, uniting regional advocates to #DefeatMalaria. 

Comments