In February, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) celebrated the successful completion of an anti-malaria social marketing project in the African nation of São Tomé and Principe that promoted the use of ITNs (Insecticide-Treated bed-Nets) to fight the spread of the dangerous disease.

The official closing ceremony was held February 23 in the capital city of São Tomé. R. Barrie Walkley, the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Gabon and São Tomé and Principe, opened the ceremony by citing the critical role mosquito nets play in the fight against malaria, noting the importance these types of interventions have in the reduction of malaria cases throughout the country.

During the ceremony ADRA staff provided a review of project activities, as well as project results and future plans. São Tomé and Principe’s minister of health, Arlindo Carvalho, presided over the event, which received national television and radio network coverage.

Representatives from the embassies of Taiwan and Portugal, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDPR) attended the ceremony, along with representatives from several governmental agencies and local organizations that partnered with ADRA on the project.

Malaria is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in children under five years old in Africa, and is the major cause of public health problems, especially among pregnant women and children with low birth weight.

ADRA’s anti-malaria social marketing project educated vulnerable groups such as young children and pregnant mothers on how behaviour modification strategies can prevent the spread of malaria. The project reached more than 72 communities with drama presentations and conducted workshops in over 120 communities, along with bimonthly workshops for specific professional groups. ADRA also distributed thousands of posters, leaflets, booklets, bumper stickers, and promoted the proper use of ITNs via radio and television media campaigns.

Dozens of local businesses, non-profit and community groups, pharmacies, and health clinics throughout the country partnered with ADRA to sell at reduced prices long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and re-treatment kits for existing nets. The insecticide-treated nets are certified by the WHO to maintain effectiveness for four years or 21 washings. By the project’s completion last month, 22,500 nets and 31,000 kits had been sold.

The project raised national awareness of the importance of using insecticidal nets to 92 percent, and successfully placed mosquito nets in 52 percent of households. Nearly 200,000 people live on the islands of São Tomé and Principe.

To implement the anti-malaria project, ADRA partnered with Population Services International, a non-profit organization that addresses the health concerns of low-income and vulnerable populations in developing countries. ADRA also worked closely with the CNE (National Center for Endemic Diseases), a department of the São Tomé and Principe Ministry of Health that works extensively in the fight against malaria. The U.S. Department of State, through its embassy in Libreville, Gabon, assisted with funding for the two-year project.

“In the fight against malaria, ITNs have been clearly shown to reduce the rate of mortality and morbidity caused by the spread of malaria within a region,” said Emanuel Costa, country director for the São Tomé and Principe office. “ADRA São Tomé and Principe will continue to raise awareness and secure partners to help distribute these nets so essential in fighting the epidemic.”

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.