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 Sao Tome 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
Sao Tome. R. Barrie Walkley, the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Gabon
and Sao Tome 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. Sao Tome 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
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 behavior 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, nonprofit 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 Sao Tome
and Principe.

To implement the anti-malaria project, ADRA partnered with Population
Services International, a nonprofit 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 Sao Tome 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 Sao Tome and Principe
office. "ADRA Sao Tome 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.