Against Malaria Foundation

Problem

In 2020, almost half of the world’s population was at risk of malaria. Most cases and deaths from malaria occur in sub-Saharan Africa – 95% and 96% respectively. 80% of cases relate to children under the age of 5. This means that every minute, a child dies of malaria. 

Harmful outcomes for health, education and the economy

Even in cases where malaria does not prove fatal it still results in considerable harm. It can cause serious health implications including permanent sight loss, hearing impairment and epilepsy. Negative economic consequences can occur when parents cannot go to work and children cannot attend school. Malaria has a fundamental impact on the local economy and productivity of those living in sub-Saharan Africa.

Solution

The best way to avoid getting malaria is to avoid getting bitten by a mosquito in the first place. Mosquitos are typically active at dusk and night time, so insecticide-treated bednets offer excellent protection.

Sleeping under a mosquito net

Mosquito nets have two purposes. Firstly, they prevent mosquitoes from biting human skin, and secondly, they kill mosquitoes with an odourless insecticide which is harmless to humans.

Since 2007, the World Health Organisation has recommended that insecticide-treated mosquito nets be provided to every household in areas with a high incidence rate of malaria.

Impact

On average, mosquito nets save 5.5 out of 1,000 children from dying of malaria³. That is a significant amount when you consider the relative ease of distributing nets to 1,000 children. Further studies show that when pregnant women sleep under these bednets they give birth to healthier babies and have fewer stillbirths. In total, 450 million malaria cases were prevented and about 900,000 lives were saved between 2000 and 2015.

Mosquito nets have proven to be extremely effective. In total, some 900,000 lives have already been saved

The economic benefits of a reduction in malaria cases cannot be understated; every dollar spent on anti-malaria interventions in African countries increases their GDP by $6.75!

Organisation

The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) has consistently performed well for many years and has had an official GiveWell recommendation since 2009. Alongside the excellent results from its mosquito net distribution, AMF also excels in its transparency and commitment to doing the most good with its donations (AMF: Financiële Information). AMF publish their own budget in real time and show us which mosquito nets have been distributed per donation⁴.

Since its foundation in 2005, the Against Malaria Foundation has funded more than 100 million mosquito nets.