Dear fellow Rotarians,
This week we will be having a virtual meeting via Zoom, on Wednesday November 18th at noon. We will have a presentation from Rotarian Malaria Partners (RMP), with our friend Charley Dickey.
RMP is a group of Rotarians and leaders of non-government organizations who are committed to foment a broad international Rotarian campaign for global elimination of malaria. They believe that malaria can be combated through a comprehensive Rotarian campaign similar to Rotary’s successful Polio Plus campaign. They do this by working with Rotarian groups around the world, and advocate within Rotary in order to gain broad international support from other districts and clubs, and for the support of the Rotary Foundation.
Charley will be sharing more about the RMP’s mission and efforts, along with the group’s relevancy during the pandemic. Recently, RMP released a video and blog post about malaria in the midst of COVID-19.
“Our vision of a malaria-free world is still as relevant as before COVID. The latest pandemic of course represents a significant setback, since we know malaria tends to resurge in times of crisis. Nonetheless, we must keep our sights firmly set on the ultimate goal of ending malaria once and for all. By ending one of humanity’s oldest and deadliest diseases, we will not only save millions of lives (most of them children under 5) but also free up valuable resources to make health systems more resilient and better able to withstand future crises.”
Complacency is one of malaria’s biggest enemies; because it has been around for so long, there is not a sense of urgency around it like with some other diseases. Community champions are a key link between local health authorities and the communities they serve, and RMP is working to empower them. Organizations such as Rotary have a strong role to play in supporting community level engagement to increase ownership, awareness and action at all levels in the fight against malaria.
I hope you will join us on Wednesday to learn more about this important work. I have heard from several members that you prefer when I send the meeting link via a separate email, and I will be doing that tomorrow. Please watch your inbox!
Yours in service,
Stefanie
Stefanie Joy Muscat
President, Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club
