Imagine No Malaria - Spreading the Word!

While United Methodists around the globe are working to eradicate malaria in Africa, it’s a battle being waged by a diverse set of partners.
Imagine No Malaria Advocacy Day brought together leaders from annual conferences across the United States to meet with congressional leaders and ask for their support of United States government funding of malaria treatment and prevention programs.  From the Oregon-Idaho Conference, Rev. Jim Frisbie, Conference Secretary of Global Ministries; Emilie Kroen, a member at Tualatin UMC; and Greg Nelson, Conference Director of Communications were the team.

The two-day event started with prayer, orientation, and training to prepare the teams for congressional visits. Frisbie, Kroen and Nelson made contact with all Oregon senators and representatives, and left information for two Idaho legislators.

The focus of the meetings was to ask congress to continue support for the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI.gov). Currently set at $650 million, this fund provides assistance to 19 countries in Africa for malaria prevention and treatment. It’s a key part of the partnership between governments, United Nations, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and groups like The United Methodist Church, other churches, and private foundations.

The Imagine No Malaria program is working to provide treatment, education, and communication in Africa that takes the power of the bed net program and increases it by helping increase the acceptance of nets and creating other rural community programs for prevention and treatment.

The United Methodist Church has roots in Africa that go back 200 years. By building on the connection of churches and medical clinics, we can be a key partner in eliminating malaria.

More than 100 Imagine No Malaria advocates, including United Methodist members from 29 states, 40 annual conferences and five participants from Africa, participated in the advocacy days with members of Congress to urge continued global health funding.

“The future of congressional funding to global health, including to fight malaria, is in jeopardy,” warned Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chair of the United Methodist Global Health Initiative. “The U.S. has been the world leader in global health aid, inspiring other countries to step up their support. To cut this critical funding would mean unnecessary suffering and loss of life from this preventable disease.”

Learn more at ImagineNoMalaria.org