SHOROBE – In a continued effort towards the fight against malaria, Stanbic Bank Botswana has partnered with the Rotary Club of Gaborone to distribute Long Lasting Impregnated Mosquito Nets (LLIN’s) to the community of Shorobe. The handover of 1200 LLIN’s comes following Stanbic Bank’s donation of P100,000 towards the Rotary Club of Gaborone for the malaria cause. The handover was made on Saturday 24th August 2013 in Shorobe Village, about 22km north of Maun.
“Of the estimated 660 000 million malaria deaths occurring each year worldwide, 90% occur in Africa, primarily among children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa”. Though the prevalence of malaria has fortunately seen a decline recently, this is still a great problem for Botswana.
Thus, we saw it as our responsibility to sensitise the nation about this issue and make a concerted effort towards a zero malaria transition rate in the country and the objective of a malaria free nation,” said Duduetsang Chappelle-Molloy, Head of Marketing at Stanbic Bank.
Stanbic Bank, as a member of Standard Bank Group, sees a Group-wide objective of becoming a United Against Malaria (UAM) and ‘malaria safe’ organisation by distributing bed nets and informational materials across Africa. Through its partnership with United Against Malaria (UAM), the Group contributes to the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment to malaria prevention and control. Stanbic Bank’s involvement in the cause dates back to its partnership with the Rotary Club of Gaborone in 2011. This came after a 2010 Government of Botswana initiative, through Ministry of Health and with support from WHO and other partners, launched the malaria elimination campaign to mark the beginning of intensified efforts by Botswana to kick out malaria within its borders.
Said Mr S S Mokgweetsinyana of Dept of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, “According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a child in Africa dies from malaria every minute”. In Botswana, we are fortunate to have seen a significant reduction in malaria morbidity and mortality realised over the past few years and this has necessitated re-orientation of the programme towards the elimination goal. The support and contribution of those in the private sector, however, is key towards fighting malaria in line with the country’s aspiration of a malaria free Botswana by 2015.
The collaborative campaign has also entailed working with local health agencies and community partners including Steinmetz and Bifm. The aim has been to train volunteers to distribute mosquito nets, detect and treat malaria, and educate the community on malaria prevention.
“This is indeed a symbol of maximum cooperation in an effort to eliminate malaria in Botswana by 2015. We are extremely proud of the enthusiasm displayed by Stanbic Bank when taking part in this initiative which will see 2,400 people being provided with protection through the handover of the 1,200 LLINs.
Malaria can be defeated with the support of the public and other corporate bodies through collaborative efforts such as these,” concluded Barry Evans, President of the Rotary Club of Gaborone.