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Year in Review 2022's Best from the PMI VectorLink Project

As we move into 2023, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) VectorLink project is taking a short look back at some of our successes last year. Here are 2022’s best stories on how we partnered with countries to strengthen local ownership of malaria control interventions, reached some of the populations most vulnerable to malaria, and drove innovations to end malaria faster, along with a few profiles of some of the people that make this work possible.

Strengthening Local Capacity

Transitioning Malaria Services to the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme

Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous province of Tanzania, is on its way to eliminating malaria. The PMI VectorLink Tanzania team transitioned all indoor residual spraying activities to the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme in June 2022.

Photo caption: Director of Preventative Services for the Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme Dr. Ali Nyanga addressing the audience at the closeout celebration in Zanzibar. Photo credit: Leonard Mutani

Strengthening Entomological Capacity for Malaria Elimination in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has few experienced entomologists working on malaria. To strengthen national capacity, PMI VectorLink Zimbabwe, in collaboration with Africa University’s (AU) PMI-funded Zimbabwe Entomology Support in Malaria Programme project, organized a two-day training on insecticide resistance monitoring and species identification of Anopheles mosquitoes. By the end of the training, the AU participants were able to identify different mosquito species and test for insecticide resistance using standard operating procedures, key skills in advancing the fight against malaria.

Photo caption: Participants checking mosquitoes to be tested during insecticide resistance training. Photo credit: Hieronymo Masendu, VectorLink Zimbabwe technical manager

Reaching the Most Vulnerable with Malaria Services

Promoting Equity in Vector Control: Examples from Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal

Reaching the most vulnerable with malaria services is key to improving gaps in coverage. With the support of the PMI VectorLink Project, countries including Ghana, Rwanda, and Senegal are making strides in reaching high-risk groups with malaria services. Ghana’s National Malaria Control Program works with the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled and similar groups to engage people living with disabilities, Rwanda makes a concerted effort to spray refugee camps and prisons with insecticide to protect people from malaria, and Senegal launched a pilot to reach vulnerable children with mosquito nets.

Photo caption: A district stakeholders’ meeting in the West Mamprusi District Assembly Hall in Walewale, Ghana. Photo credit: Gamel Bayensi, information, education, and communication assistant for Walewale

At Tanzania’s Refugee Camps, Local Health Teams Take the Lead

Tanzania is home to thousands of refugees, mostly from Burundi. The refugee population, especially pregnant women and children under five years of age, are at risk for malaria. With these groups making up a large percentage of the refugee camp population, malaria prevention is critical to protect them from illness. PMI VectorLink Tanzania worked in partnership with the district health authorities to implement IRS in the camps to protect the residents from malaria.

Photo caption: A resident assists the spray operator during the insecticide mixing procedure. Photo credit: Isaya Mihayo

Innovation

PMI VectorLink Zambia is Named a Winner of the USAID 2022 Digital Development Award

The PMI VectorLink Zambia Project received one of USAID's 2022 Digital Development Awards, which recognize the use of technology to promote inclusive growth, foster resilient democratic societies, and empower communities around the world, including the most vulnerable and marginalized. PMI VectorLink Zambia was recognized for deploying a suite of digital tools that supports map-based data collection, monitoring, and capacity building to improve malaria control programs.

Photo caption: Supervisor review of map created by Reveal tool. Photo courtesy of Akros

Solar-Powered Systems: Reliable Electricity for Cooling Systems and Data Collection

Tackling climate change is vital, so utilizing clean energy for malaria interventions like IRS is ideal. In Madagascar, the PMI VectorLink team set up a cooling system using solar power rather than a diesel generator at one of their operations sites. In Tanzania, the team used solar power to charge mobile devices for data collection.

Photo caption: Regional Environmental Compliance Manager Tahina Masihelison holding the solar panel in the storeroom. Photo credit: Tahina Masihelison

Malaria Fighters!

We cannot do the work that we do without dedicated people like PMI VectorLink Zambia Entomology Manager Mohamed Bayoh, Regional Research Manager Jacky Raharinjatovo, Spray Operator Fainess Mubanga, and our many women leaders who serve as inspiration to women looking to work in an area still largely dominated by men.

Mohamed Bayoh

Bayoh helps determine the impact of the project’s malaria prevention efforts, namely indoor residual spraying and insecticide-treated net distributions. His work actively supports Zambia in the fight against malaria as he helps train partners in entomological monitoring, works with community members to collect mosquitoes for monitoring, and provides data to the government that informs vector control decision-making.

Photo caption: VectorLink Zambia Technical Manager Mohamed Bayoh demonstrating the battery-powered aspirator. Photo credit: PMI VectorLink Zambia

Jacky Raharinjatovo

Jacky is a regional research manager based in Madagascar, focusing on durability monitoring of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), a key malaria control intervention. The effectiveness of insecticides used on mosquito nets decreases over time, so monitoring the quality of ITNs is vital to ensuring they still protect people from malaria. Jacky helps generate evidence through durability monitoring that contributes to making ITNs more durable.

Photo caption: Measuring holes in a mosquito net. Photo credit: Jacky Raharinjatovo

Fainess Mubanga

Fainess Mubanga is one of the community members on Chisenga Island, Zambia who worked as a spray operator on this year’s campaign to protect people from malaria by spraying homes with insecticide. People like Fainess are helping Zambia move closer to ending malaria.

The Women in Charge: Leading the Fight to End Malaria

Effective leadership is vital for successful malaria control interventions. On World Malaria Day, PMI VectorLink highlighted five female leaders across positions and countries, some of whom are seen below, to showcase their roles, inspiration, challenges, and advice for aspiring female leaders dedicated to ending malaria once and for all.