LMI program highlights in Africa

Below is a list of highlights about the Lutheran Malaria Initiative‘s work in Africa from the August issue of the LMI Update:

Tanzania

Bed net usage rose from 55 to 87 percent in program areas.

Antenatal visits rose to 100 percent in program areas.

Through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, an LCMS partner church, LMI programming is in place in 60 percent of the country.

Mali

86 Malaria Insurance Funds established for the sole purpose of providing access to health care. Local farmers raised $110,862 to support these funds, and, to date, 722 people have received health care who could not have afforded it before.

Net ownership of surveyed households in the project area rose from 66 to 100 percent.

Broadcast educational messages reached 520,000 people.

Nigeria

120 community health care workers have been trained in recognizing the symptoms of malaria.

86 core team members from 10 churches and 10 schools have been trained on malaria prevention methods.

12,000 households are receiving monthly visits from health care workers and community volunteers.

10,000 children in Bible clubs have learned about malaria and how to avoid contracting the disease.

LMI partners are working directly with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health to coordinate bed net distribution and malaria treatment.

LMI staff participated in four zonal conventions to provide malaria education.

Kenya

8,520 bed nets have been distributed.

180 community health care workers and 260 community leaders attended training on malaria prevention methods.

Bed net use has increased from 45 to 84 percent in the targeted project region.

Uganda

Children under the age of 5 sleeping under a bed net in the target area rose from 46 to 69 percent.

Pregnant mothers sleeping under a bed net in the target area rose from 43 to 64 percent.

90 percent of those in the target area understood the causes of malaria upon completion of the project.

Learn More

To learn more about LMI’s work in Africa, I encourage you to read the August issue of the LMI Update. Find the latest news: http://www.lcms.org/publications/lmi-update or www.lcms.org/lmi. Please share the links with others, post the newsletter to your website, and print and display it at your church or school. Encourage others to learn more about LMI!