Joint Statement from the Episcopal Church and Episcopal Relief & Development for World Malaria Day o

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>Episcopal Relief & Development

>The Episcopal Church

>Office of Public Affairs

Joint Statement from the Episcopal Church and

Episcopal Relief & Development for World Malaria Day on April 25

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal  
Church

Dr. Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Ch urch

Dr. Robert W. Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development

[April 7, 2011] One of the most important initiatives in which the Episcopa l 
Church has participated over the last five years is NetsforLife® <http: 
//www.netsforlifeafrica.org/> , a program partnership for malaria preventio n 
in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

As the world prepares to commemorate World Malaria Day on April 25, we call  on 
the Church to pray for those suffering from this deadly disease and tak e stock 
of those things done and those things left undone.

For the current triennium, NetsforLife® is the centerpiece of our Church' s 
prophetic response to the Millennium Development Goals.

Indeed, dioceses, congregations and individuals throughout the Church have  
taken up the call of the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund <http://www.inspir 
ationfund.org/>  and are working to distribute long-lasting insecticide-tre 
ated mosquito nets throughout Africa.

There are some stunning program accomplishments about which we can all be v ery 
proud:

*       More than 6.3 million nets have been distributed
*       Over 48,000 malaria agents have been trained
*       Almost 35 million beneficiaries have been reached, either directly or 
ind irectly

To learn more about these accomplishments, please join Rob Radtke, Presiden t 
of Episcopal Relief & Development, Stephen Dzisi, NetsforLife® Technica l 
Director, and Meg DeRonghe, NetsforLife® Acting Executive Director for  a 
conference call <https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=74 
1dkqg5hxs4>  on Tuesday, April 12. You'll be able to learn and ask question s 
about NetsforLife®'s accomplishments, innovative methodology, and uniqu e 
interfaith partnerships.

While we give thanks for these accomplishments, this is not time to rest on  
our laurels.

According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization <http 
://www.who.int/malaria/world_malaria_report_2010/worldmalariareport2010.pdf >  
(WHO):

*       It is estimated that 42% of households in Africa owned at least one ITN 
( Insecticide Treated Net) in mid-2010, and that 35% of children slept under  
an ITN.
*       The percentage of children using ITNs is still well below the WHO 
target  of 80% partly because up to the end of 2009, ITN ownership remained low 
in  some of the largest African countries.
*       Low rates of use reported in some surveys are primarily due to a lack 
of  sufficient nets to cover all household members; household survey results su 
ggest that most (80%) of the available ITNs are used.

There is currently a huge effort to ensure that malaria nets reach those wh o 
need them the most, and recent measures indicate that progress is being m ade. 
According to the WHO report, a total of 254 million ITNs were delivere d to 
countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2008 and 2010 - enough to cove r 66% of 
the 765 million people at risk. Eleven countries showed a reductio n of more 
than 50% in either confirmed malaria cases or admissions and deat hs in recent 
years, and overall malaria deaths have been reduced from 1 mil lion annually to 
781,000.

>However, as the report points out:

*       While the rapid scale-up of ITN distribution in Africa represents an 
enor mous public health achievement, it also represents a formidable challenge 
f or the future in ensuring that the high levels of coverage are maintained.
*       The lifespan of a long-lasting ITN is currently estimated to be three 
yea rs.
*       Nets delivered in 2006 and 2007 are therefore already due for 
replacement , and those delivered between 2008 and 2010 soon will be.

In fact, this is exactly what we are seeing amongst our NetsforLife® part ners 
in Africa, and it is the challenge we face until malaria is eradicated  - 
something that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Furthermore, we know from our program monitoring and evaluation that net di 
stribution only gets you part of the way to prevention. What matters most i s 
proper net usage, by the right people, every night.

So we have a three-fold challenge in malaria prevention:

*       Ensuring universal Insecticide Treated Net coverage
*       Sustained proper usage of those nets
*       Net replacement after three years of use

The Episcopal Church, through its award-winning NetsforLife® program part 
nership, is rising to this challenge every day. Through the NetsforLife®  
Inspiration Fund, we are engaging Episcopal congregations, clergy, students  
and seminarians in raising awareness and funds for malaria prevention and  
education.

In closing, we want to share a story from a parish priest in one of our Net 
sforLife® partner dioceses:

"Before NetsforLife® came to this area, community members used to wake me  up 
in the middle of the night at least four times every month to baptize a nd 
anoint a sick child-only to bury him or her the next day. Since the prog ram 
started, such midnight calls have ceased ... NetsforLife® is saving l ives."

>Join us in the fight against malaria.

For more information about the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund and how to g et 
involved, visit www.inspirationfund.org <http://www.inspirationfund.org/ > .

The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses  and 
three regional areas in 16 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member pr ovince 
of the worldwide Anglican Communion. www.episcopalchurch.org <http:/ 
/www.episcopalchurch.org/>

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development  
agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. T he 
agency takes its mandate from Jesus' words found in Matthew 25. Its prog rams 
work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Together with  the 
worldwide Church and ecumenical partners, Episcopal Relief & Developme nt 
rebuilds after disasters and empowers people by offering lasting solutio ns 
that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.  
www.er-d.org <http://www.er-d.org/>

NetsforLife® is a partnership of corporations, foundations and faith-base d 
organizations working to eliminate malaria in Africa. The program partner ship, 
which has benefited more than 35 million people, includes ExxonMobil,  Standard 
Chartered Bank, the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Starr Internatio nal 
Foundation, the J.C. Flowers Foundation and Episcopal Relief & Developm ent.

># # #

>Faith Rowold

>Communications Assistant

>Episcopal Relief & Development

>212.716.6311

>frowold@er-d.org

>Neva Rae Fox

>Public Affairs Officer

>The Episcopal Church

>publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org

>212.716.6080

>Mobile: 917.478.5659

>

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