Little Christine Asobora, pictured here with her mother, looks like a normal 1-year-old girl. But Christine has already faced multiple episodes of malaria, a treatable disease that is nonetheless a leading cause of death for children in developing nations.
Photo ©Sylvia Nabanoba/World Vision

"I would love to see her not falling sick, sleeping well, and eating well like other children," says her mom, as she gently caresses her tiny daughter's face, covered in a blotchy rash, the effects of her recent bout with malaria.

Christine suffers from frequent episodes of untreated malaria that have delayed her development. In the absence of proper treatment, she is threatened with death.

Tragically, many little ones, just like Christine, die because effective tools to prevent and treat malaria are rendered inaccessible or unaffordable by extreme poverty — treatments that are inexpensive by Western standards.

Fourth most-wanted killer of children

Malaria is the fourth-leading killer of children younger than 5 around the world and a leading cause of death for children in this age range in sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda, where Christine lives.

Even if a child does not die from malaria, the disease can have devastating consequences.

"If not treated, a child with malaria can get brain damage or cerebral malaria," says Kabaguma, a nurse at the local Buhimba Health Center, a few miles from Christine's home. "And if a patient does not take the full dose, he can become resistant to treatment."

Additionally, pregnant mothers who become infected with malaria may develop anemia and deliver low birth-weight babies.

One reason Christine and the children in her community continue to contract malaria is a lack of community education focused on prevention, one of the core strategies in World Vision's new anti-malaria campaign.

For instance, as Kabaguma points out, people in Christine's area do not routinely clear bushes around their homes. The bushes are a breeding ground for mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite. Highlighting the impact of other interventions, Anthony Kawere, World Vision's sponsorship coordinator for the Buhimba area, adds that mosquito nets also have played an important role in preventing malaria infections.

Our commitment

Christine's story illustrates the need to take organized and decisive action to eliminate malaria globally and save the lives of children.
Photo ©2008 Sylvia Nabanoba/World Vision

Stories like Christine's are why World Vision is determined to help eradicate malaria.

The good news is that elimination of malaria is possible, as was done in the United States in 1951.

World Vision is part of a growing global movement to combat malaria with strong coordination between governments, businesses, non-governmental organizations, churches, and local citizens.

We work in 64 malaria-endemic countries, 24 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, where we are experienced in providing malaria prevention and treatment solutions in local communities. Through local partnerships, we now are scaling up our malaria prevention and treatment efforts, including:

• Distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets
• Community health education
• Provision of anti-malarial drugs and other treatments

For Christine, and so many little ones like her, these expanded efforts can come none too soon.

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