OREANDA-NEWS. ExxonMobil marked World Malaria Day by announcing grants to local and international organizations fighting malaria. These investments extend ExxonMobil’s commitment of more than 15 years to reduce the global burden of malaria, which threatens nearly half the world’s population and claimed an estimated 438,000 lives in 2015 alone.

“ExxonMobil is committed to investing in the fundamental programs needed to defeat malaria,” said Ben Soraci, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “Our partners in this long-standing initiative help bridge the gaps in access to lifesaving tools and health services, train the next generation of health leaders and advance scientific understanding.”

The grants provided by the ExxonMobil Foundation support efforts to prevent malaria infection, avert deaths and bolster health systems in malaria-endemic countries. Grant recipients represent the spectrum of partners involved in the global malaria effort, including program implementers, advocacy groups, capacity-building organizations and research partnerships.

With more than $145 million in investments since 2000, ExxonMobil is one of the largest private-sector contributors of funding to organizations fighting malaria. ExxonMobil investments help local and national health systems address malaria by supporting basic components of health care delivery. Program priorities include health worker training and leadership development, surveillance of malaria outcomes and risks, and delivery of basic tools and services. Since 2000, funding from ExxonMobil has supported training of more than 500,000 health care workers, distribution of 2.6 million rapid diagnostic tests and 14 million bed nets, and administration of 3.8 million doses of antimalarial medicines.

Global coordination to increase access to prevention and treatment tools and services has dramatically reduced malaria’s human and economic impact. Since the launch of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals in 2000, malaria mortality rates have decreased by 60 percent globally and nearly 70 percent in sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden is the greatest. Maintaining the pace of progress will require innovative solutions to challenges such as antimalarial drug resistance and gaps in access to diagnosis and treatment.

“ExxonMobil’s continued support helps us meet our ambitious goal of ending malaria by reaching those at risk with the right tools today, and building systems that can adapt to the challenges of tomorrow,” said Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, the U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator and leader of the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

ExxonMobil will invest $9 million in programs in 2016, including grants to:

  • Africare, to train and support community volunteers and health care workers to conduct house-to-house visits to emphasize the importance of malaria prevention.
  • Harvard University, to advance scientific knowledge of the opportunities for and challenges of malaria eradication.
  • Jhpiego, to strengthen the ability of health providers and community volunteers to prevent and treat malaria, particularly among pregnant women.
  • President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), to improve training for malaria diagnosis and access to prevention tools.
  • Seed Global Health, to place medical volunteers in underserved settings helping to train the next generation of health professionals.
  • Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN), to standardize and facilitate coordinated collection of information and data on antimalarial drug resistance.

Other 2016 grant recipients include Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo (ADPP); Cameroon Business Coalition Against Malaria, Tuberculosis and AIDS; Friends of the Global Fight; Global Health Corps; Grassroot Soccer; Malaria No More; Malaria Vaccine Initiative; Medicines for Malaria Venture; The Mentor Initiative; Oxford University; Population Services International; and Special Olympics.

ExxonMobil is working with partners across Angola, Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria to raise awareness and advocate for solutions to fight the disease. Planned activities and public events include voluntary testing and counseling sessions, community talks, public awareness campaigns and sports events.

The company uses its business expertise, network and convening power to advance global health. ExxonMobil-supported programs have reached more than 125 million people worldwide. ExxonMobil’s Workforce Malaria Control Program offers prevention tools, early diagnosis and treatment to company employees and surrounding communities, and serves as a model for other malaria control initiatives.