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Current Goals
 To assist with the development and coordination of networks
that enhance communications, maximize exchange of views and expertise among
malaria scientists and health workers, and encourage the most cost-effective
use of available resources.
To provide a concerted voice for scientists in issues of public debate concerning
malaria.
To educate
individuals and institutions about the enormity of the malaria problem worldwide,
and help to secure financial assistance for malaria research and control programs.
To support
the education and training of our next generation of malaria experts.
Present Projects
1. Malaria
Foundation International Web Site: www.malaria.org
A Gateway for Malaria Information
The Malaria
Foundation International web site was established in 1995 to provide
an interactive, central location to access information about malaria.
This information ranges from General (e.g., Learn About
Malaria, Travel Advisories, Literature) to Scientific (MFI's
Communication Center, On-Line Journals, Databases, Networks, comprehensive
Conference Calendar, numerous links to agencies and societies) to Newsworthy (updated information about global and local malaria initiatives,
malaria in the news, announcements). This site brings together a wide
variety of resources and is also the home base for information and electronic
activities associated with the MFI's other projects listed below. This
site is continually updated so that it remains dynamic, current, and
useful. |
2.
Global Malaria Awareness Campaign
The Global
Malaria Awareness Campaign is a program aimed at educating people about
malaria and providing opportunities to donate voluntary services or
financial support. To this end, the MFI website is a central site that
provides information about malaria that is relevant for a broad audience
(press, teachers, students, travelers, policy makers).
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3.
Malaria Project
Student Leaders Against Malaria builds
a global network of students to work toward the eradication of malaria.
A goal is to strengthen the social conscience of today's students and
instill them with leadership qualities.
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4.
Malaria Communication Center
MFI's
Communication Center is a discussion system and Jobs Bulletin Board
provided for professionals and students working with malaria. The 'Discussions'
may be public (initiated by MFI or others) or private (which are controlled
by the group who initiate the discussion and can be password protected).
People can post 'Jobs Sought' or 'Jobs Available' at the Jobs Bulletin
Board. The MFI Communication Center is accessible from our homepage. |
5.
Scientific Sounding Board
The
MFI is a grassroots organization involving scientists worldwide that
achieves advocacy for malaria issues through our Scientific Sounding
Board function. In this capacity, we solicit views and form an evidence-based
concensus on issues of importance for malaria research and control of
the disease. This function has the potential for influencing policies
that can save lives, an example being our successful recent effort to
prevent a global ban of the production and use of DDT for malaria control. |
6.
DDT: Replacement before a Ban
In partnership
with the Malaria Project the Malaria Foundation International successfully
organised the voice of over 400 of the world's leading scientists from
around the world to debate the issue of a possible global ban of the
insecticide DDT, jointly sign an open letter to stop this ban, and garner
the support of the press worldwide. Due to this consolidated approach,
DDT will not be banned until a suitable replacement is found. The result
is that many thousands of lives each year will be saved.
This remains
an active project as discussion on this topic continues. Read details here. |
7.
International Drug Resistance Surveillance Project
Thanks
to the recent availability of a new, very fast and simple surveillance
system of malaria drug resistance, the MFI proposes to implement a drug
surveillance network in every malaria-endemic country. The MFI will
collect and provide regularly updated information to national and international
health authorities, scientists, and pharmaceutical industries. Dr. Pierre
Druilhe (a member of the MFI's International Board) and Philippe Brasseur
initiated this project and direct and implement it.
This project
was initially supported by a concerted action grant from the European
Commission, received support and technical assessment by the TDR Component
of the World Health Organization, and is now supported by several public
and private bodies. Among the supporters are the Lions and Rotary clubs
who have joined their networks with that of the MFI, and they will be
actively involved in all malarious countries also networked by the Roll
Back Malaria initiative of WHO. To date, training of technicians has
been successfully implemented in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Sri
Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Madagascar, and
Mayotte. Plans for future training include Brazil, Colombia, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, and India. A dedicated web-site where results will be available
on-line (in real time) will be available in the near future. Further
donations for this particular activity, including training, are most
welcome. In an African country the overall cost to gather data each
year is in the order of $10,000 per year. |
8.
MFI's Travel Scholarship Program including the Vanessa Botterill Memorial
Award
The MFI
has instituted an annual Travel Scholarship Award to allow promising
young scientists to attend international conferences. This opportunity
helps to establish research collaborations among scientists that, in
time, bridges the gaps among countries and laboratories.
The Vanessa
Botterill annual award is in memory of a young English woman, aged 24,
who died from malaria in Kenya on 7 September 1997. This award is made
possible by her family and friends, who raised funds from the Mutley
Ball (below, see Past Projects #4) working together with the MFI. |
9.
MFI STAKEHOLDER ACTIVITIES
MFI acts
as a stakeholder with many new global initiatives that have sprung up
in the last few years, including the Multilateral
Initiative on Malaria (MIM), Roll
Back Malaria (RBM), and the Malaria
Vaccine Initiative (MVI). |
10.
Drive Against Malaria
In 1998,
in partnership with the MFI and MEMISA, British global explorer David
Robertson launched a great challenge: to circumnavigate the globe
in a four-wheel drive vehicle to draw attention to the growing danger
of malaria. MFI assisted Mr. Robertson in raising public and political
awareness in countries throughout Africa and Europe.
Having
helped David get off to a good start, the MFI wishes him well in his
travels! |
Past Projects
1.
Malaria Genome Focus Group
At the
request of the Burroughs Wellcome
Fund, the Malaria Foundation International convened the Malaria
Genome Focus Group, which was held on April 7, 1997 in Rockville,
Maryland, USA. This group of people came to a general consensus on
a number of issues and subsequently involved the scientific community
at large via its web-based communications in formulating the next
steps during the early stages of the Malaria Genome Project, which
is now advancing rapidly. (Past and current information on the Malaria
Genome Project) |
2.
The Second Global Meet on Parasitic Diseases
The
"Second Global Meet Ronald Ross Centenary" was a special conference
was a special conference with a focus on malaria which was sponsored
by the Indian Society of Parasitology and co-sponsored by the Malaria
Foundation International. The MFI assisted with program development,
fundraising, a sponsored travel award program, promotion of the meeting,
and the development and management of worldwide publicity. This meeting
was held in Hyderabad, India from 18-22 August 1997 to commemorate
the 100th year anniversary of the landmark discovery by Ronald Ross
of malaria in the mosquito. This meeting was a very strong demonstration
of the commitment of scientists and public health officials to malaria
research and control. Over 700 people, including malaria researchers,
public health specialists, government officials and industry representatives
attended from over 25 countries. Goals of the meeting included strengthening
of scientist cooperation aimed at reviving public and funding agencies
interest in this forgotten disease.
This
was the first major MALARIA meeting of its scope and provided and
unprecedented example of how attention can be drawn to the malaria
problem via the media. TV, radio, and the press rallied strongly behind
this meeting. Since, several new global initiatives have sprung up
and followed the example of large scale public advocacy to bring attention
on this disease. MFI continues to create awareness through its own
programs and by facilitating the progress of the others through its
role as a stakeholder where the common cause of preventing or controlling
malaria is at stake. |
3.
Mutley Ball
The
Mutley Ball was held in 1998 in London, in memory of Vanessa Botterill,
a young woman who died of malaria after being diagnosed with the disease
at the end of her travels in Africa. Through this event, funds were
raised to bring attention to the severity of this disease and to support
the education and training of young malaria scientists from Africa.
In 2001, an annual travel scholarship program was initiated to enable
students and junior scientists, who are citizens residing and working
in sub-Saharan African countries, to participate in international
malaria meetings. (Above, see Present Projects #8). |
4.
World Wide Malaria Directory
The
MFI collaborated with SHARED towards a common goal to compile the
most comprehensive interactive database of people, projects, and organisations
related to malaria. This database is accessible to all and it allows
professionals from all over the world to interact and share resources. |
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