The Life You Can Save has offered thousands of dollars to strangers on the street and gave them a choice: they could keep the money and run, or hand it over to charity! See what happened in the video below and take part in their giving game too!
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The Nightmare: Malaria game developed by Pysop Games has been exceptionally well received and reviewed! It was downloaded more than 160,000 times across 181 countries in its first ten days (wow!) and is now nearing a quarter of a million downloads, been featured in the iTunes US App Store and on FastCoCreate, and been reviewed by AndroidPolice.
See: iTunes App Store, Google Play store and Kindle Fire
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Additional funding
We are presently seeking funding of an additional $5m to be able to fund fully those distributions currently being discussed and requiring a decision before the end of March 2014.
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Individuals in Switzerland can now make tax-deductible donations to AMF.
Effective Altruism Switzerland (EACH) is able to receive tax deductible donations on behalf of AMF. This allows individual donors to benefit from full tax deductibility when donating a minimum of CHF100. The tax deductibility applies for total donations per year of up to 20% of the donor's gross salary. A small fee of a few CHF, and up to CHF20, is deducted by EACH to cover costs. There also may be a bank transfer charge. Any donation intended for AMF must be accompanied by email notification to EACH and to AMF making clear the donation is intended for AMF.
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Nightmare: Malaria is now available to download and play for free on your iOS and Android devices!
Our thanks go to EGG (Establishment for the Greater Good) and PsyOp who have created a fantastic animation, voiced by Susan Sarandon, and also a superb free-to-play game.
Visit the Nightmare: Malaria site to find out more.
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The final mop-up phase will begin shortly now the final number of nets required to fill gaps is known. 15 villages required additional nets (+4,845 nets) and 28 villages omitted from the initial pre-distribution survey have been added (+4,879 nets). The distribution phase will be completed by 7th December with 158,805 distributed to achieve universal coverage of the district of 370,000 people. Concern Universal, Malawi, our distibution partner, has done a terrific job working closely with the district health service in managing this distribution.
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Distribution update – taking longer than anticipated
We had hoped by now to conclude agreements to allocate the majority of nets we are currently able to fund. Despite our best efforts, however, we have not been able to do so.
This is because we have not been able to reach a net distribution agreement for a major, country or province-wide net distribution with an appropriate level of accountability and transparency.
As you know, these are key considerations for us as theft of nets at a material level can occur with large net distributions. If there were no, or limited, concerns over the potential material misappropriation of nets, it would be very easy to hand over funds for them.
This statement does not indicate those potential partners with whom we have been discussing potential distributions tolerate the theft of nets. It does indicate we have not been able to achieve an agreement that would give access to information, enabling us to independently verify that nets would be distributed as intended, so we could report that to donors.
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A fascinating - and perhaps surprising - summary of progress in the developing world. A brilliant, clear, 3 minute video.
Hans Rosling says ' Most people think the problems in the countries in Africa are unsolvable. But if the poorest countries can just follow [this path] it is fully possible that the world will look like this in 2030. Then there will be no countries left in the box we once called 'the developing world'. But to ensure that happens we must measure... By measuring the progress in the once labelled “developing countries”, preventable child mortality can be history by the year 2030.' We agree. With bednet distributions that help address the malaria problem, measuring means collecting data on net delivery and continued use, which also allows us to be accountable to donors as to how their donations are spent.
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The layout is now clearer and more concise. Four sections follow the distribution timeline:
- Donations show those that specifically funded the distribution.
- Pre-distribution allows you to follow the work that goes on before a distribution takes place.
- Distribution provides reports of what happened.
- Post-Distribution follows subsequent net use and malaria case rate data.
Accountability and transparency of how we spend your money are two guiding principles for AMF. We hope these additions help that.
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We have now passed the US$21 million mark, thanks to a donation from London, England!
We also recently had our 76,000th donation too - from Melbourne, Australia. Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support and generosity.
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We were approached several months ago by PsyOp, a digital agency based in Los Angeles and New York, who offered to create, pro bono, an animation to help in the fight against malaria. We challenged them to come up with an animation that could be used as a platform to help encourage a million people to give one net each. The result, including a free-to-play game, will be launched at the start of December.
See a preview of PsyOp and EGG's (Establishment for the Greater Good) impressive work.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says 1,925 malaria cases were reported in the United States in 2011. This number is the highest since 1971 and represents a 14% increase since 2010.
CDC says 'Almost all of the malaria cases reported in the U.S. were acquired overseas. More than two-thirds (69%) of the cases were imported from Africa and for the first time, India was the country from which the most cases were imported. Cases showed seasonal peaks in January and August.'
More at: Malaria Nexus and CDC
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Several hundred donors and potential donors in Australia have contacted us and asked to know our status as a potential tax deductible charity and the reason why our previous application was turned down.
AMF (Australia) does not currently have tax deductible status. Such status, if approved, would allow donors to claim a tax deduction on future donations to the charity.
We will shortly be submitting a further application to AusAid requesting consideration for this status. We understand we would expect to hear the result of our submission six months later. We will post the result of our application as soon as we know it.
AMF (Australia) applied for tax deductible status in 2009. AusAid turned us down for three reasons and told us the following:
- CRITERION (iii) It is a community-based organisation accountable to its membership.
In order to fully meet this OAGDS assessment criterion, [Against] Malaria Foundation (Australia) needs to report on all costs of the organisation’s operations, including fund-raising and administration costs, even though these may be covered by separate donations in cash or in-kind.
Our comment: We believe we did this. We have no cash costs in Australia and we reported in detail on the pro bono support we receive.
- CRITERION (vii) It and its overseas partners are both effective in conducting their activities.
In order to meet this OAGDS assessment criterion, [Against] Malaria Foundation (Australia) needs to demonstrate full interaction with its partners in all areas of the project cycle. In particular, it needs to provide evidence that it collects data from its partners to evaluate the impact of its specific programs and uses the results of such evaluations to strengthen future project activities.
Our comment: We believe we did so and comprehensively. We provided evidence and pointed to documents online.
- CRITERION (v) Its activities are focused on development and/or relief covering least one and preferably two years.
In order to meet this OAGDS criterion, [Against] Malaria Foundation (Australia) needs to provide documentation from itself or its partners consciously demonstrating a sustainable development paradigm.
Our comment: We believe we did so and comprehensively. The criterion says ‘development and/or relief’. It would seem to us that either or both cover well what we do.
We believed we had submitted a further application in 2010. AusAid told us they considered we had not. Discussions took place though 2011 and beyond. We were not clear how we could add information to our application.
Prior to submitting a new application we will a) try and understand if there is/are some structural aspect/s of what we do and how we do it that may mean we will not be eligible for such status and, if that is not the case b) we will work hard to try and address any concerns AusAid may have.
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In February 2013, AMF agreed to fund the net and non-net costs for the distribution of some 300 - 400,000 LLINs in two districts in Malawi, Balaka and Dedza. We have now published detailed non-net cost budgets and will report on actual costs in due course. This information allows donors and others to see how we spend funds allocated to non-net costs. You can read about our approach to non-net costs on the website. The final number of nets to be distributed will be known when the household level pre-distribution assessment in Dedza is complete. The distribution of 149,500 nets in Balaka is underway.
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149,500 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are currently being distributed in Balaka District, Malawi to achieve universal coverage - all sleeping spaces covered - to protect some 270,000 people. The first of several mid-distribution reports are now available on our website.
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When people, be they donors or not, contact us and ask to visit an AMF net distribution, be it to help out or view the process, we say yes. We are always supportive of people seeing for themselves what goes on with a distribution of nets.
Sophie and Richard Morgan chose to raise funds for AMF from January 2013 as an activity to accompany their return by car from Sydney, Australia to the UK involving driving from the south to the north of Africa. All funds they raised ( http://www.AgainstMalaria.com/morgansafari) were allocated to a distribution in Malawi and they were keen to visit the distribution to help distribute the nets they helped fund. Our distribution partner - Concern Universal, Malawi - was happy to help out and welcome them to the distribution team.
Sophie and Richard have written, with photographs, about their distribution experience. It gives a good first-hand insight into what goes on during a distribution.
It is worth mentioning, no-one at AMF has met Richard and Sophie, although we hope to when they are back in the UK, and their blog post was unsolicited.
We will report in the coming months on the levels of net use and on malaria rates in Balaka District.
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149,500 nets are now being distributed in Balaka district, Malawi. All nets will be distributed by the end of October.
These nets will achieve universal coverage of all sleeping spaces in the district of some 388,000 people.
Pre-distribution work led by our distribution partner, Concern Universal Malawi, and carried out with the local government health teams, has involved visiting all 90,336 households in the district to establish net need per household. This allows an efficient, targeted distribution with each household receiving the number of nets each needs.
This pre-distribution activity allows significant engagement of community and health leaders in the net distribution process and associated malaria education elements. Community involvement is instrumental in ensuring an organised distribution and helping to achieve high levels of immediate net hang-up and sustained use.
Detailed distribution records, including household level data, will allow us to verify nets were distributed as intended. Independent supervision at the ‘moment of distribution’ ensures no nets are misappropriated.
The data collected during the pre-distribution phase will be used in the six-monthly post-distribution net use and condition check-ups, when 5% of households are selected at random and visited unannounced to gather net use and condition data. These (anonymised) data are made public, allowing us to report on the levels of net use achieved over time. The District Health Officer (DHO) and his/her team are able to use this health-centre level information to influence additional local malaria control interventions as they deem necessary.
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We were recently asked several questions and felt the questions and our comments might be of interest to a wider audience.
- Bed nets protect at night. What about during the day?
The overwhelming majority of malaria-carrying mosquitoes bite at night, typically between 10pm and 2am. Hence the importance and effectiveness of the net.
- In your opinion, is donating to malaria vaccine development more or less worthy than donating to LLIN distribution, and why?
I'd stick to a fact and a hope. The fact is that if enough bednets were deployed and continued to be used so universal coverage of communities is achieved – eminently achievable if the funds were there – then we can dramatically reduce the level of malaria and, broadly speaking, bring malaria 'under control'. That does not mean elimination as that is a specific scientific term, but 'under control' means a level of malaria that is an order of magnitude, if not several orders of magnitude, below what it is today. A hope is that a vaccine will be found. Finding one has proved, and is proving, very difficult indeed. Finding one requires research and that requires money so I am fully supportive of all and every attempt to find a vaccine. If one were found, it would have a dramatic impact on the fight against malaria. There are a number of groups and very wealthy philanthropists who have made significant donations to vaccine research work. So, eggs in two baskets, not one. If I have to personally decide where I place my $100 donation, now? Bednets to protect people, now. Our most recent vaccine update.
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We have now passed the US$20 million mark, thanks to a donation from Arlington, Virginia, USA!
We also had our 71,000th donation too - from Glasgow, Scotland! Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support and generosity.
You can see all our milestones on the website, where we will be providing news shortly on the allocation of funds to specific distributions.
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A very good TED talk from Sonia Shah: a malaria 101 also covering 'why aren’t we rid of malaria yet?'
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Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the main drugs used to treat malaria. In the majority of the world they work. In some parts of Asia resistance to ACTs has been seen because some strains of malaria are resistant to artemisinin. This is not good. There are five different ACTs and if one does not treat a particular patient, the patient is still cured as part of a longer treatment regimen, provided they are treated with an ACT containing a partner drug that is effective in that geographical area. So far, resistance is confined to four South-East Asian countries: Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, all in the Greater Mekong subregion.
Geographic containment efforts may slow the spread of artemisinin resistance. A solution to artemisinin resistance is likely to require new malaria drugs not based on artemisinin.
Scientists have developed a simple, rapid blood test to determine the malaria parasite's resistance to artemisinin. This can help identify patients who need a second ACT to help them recover from malaria.
One implication of the reduction in efficacy of drugs to treat malaria is the need to work harder and faster to bring malaria under control so fewer people are at risk. And that’s where bednets come in.
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 Everyone involved in malaria control has a fervent wish a malaria vaccine is found.
There is promising news about one potential malaria vaccine, called PfSPZ, at an early stage of trials.
" A malaria vaccine has become the first to provide 100% protection against the disease, confounding critics and far surpassing any other experimental malaria vaccine tested. It will now be tested further in clinical trials in Africa. The results are important because they demonstrate for the first time the concept that a malaria vaccine can provide a high level of protection, says Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, adding that the findings are cause for 'cautious optimism'" says an article in Nature.
There are significant further trials required - and other vaccines that have shown early promise have proved not viable - as well as there being potential delivery (i.e. pill, standard injection or intravenous injection) and logistics (i.e. does the vaccine need to be kept cold?) hurdles to overcome.
A good summary seems the following from an article on discovermagazine.com: " Researchers aren't sure if this particular vaccine will prevent all strains of the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, and having to take five intravenous vaccines is not practical for large-scale use at this point. Still, the effective protection demonstrated in this study is a promising first step toward developing a more realistic anti-malarial vaccine that doesn't require hundreds of mosquito bites."
The BBC reports " There are currently about 20 malaria vaccine candidates in clinical trials."
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We have now passed the US$19 million mark, thanks to a donation from Good Ventures in California, USA!
We are also close to our 67,00th donor too! Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support and generosity.
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A recent report by the UK's National Audit Office (NAO) has said, as reported by the BBC, "'Too few' bed nets paid for by UK [government] are being used".
The BBC article continues, "Not enough anti-malarial bed nets paid for by the UK [government] are being used around the world, ministers have been warned. ...the National Audit Office said usage among target groups, such as children, was disappointing... The watchdog urged the UK to work with aid recipients to "change attitudes" and to ensure proper value for money... The NAO's report, which drew on first-hand research in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Nigeria and Burma, said the countries had been "well-chosen" but questioned the effectiveness of some of the spending. There had been a 23% increase in the number of families in the four countries owning a mosquito net since 2010 but usage by target groups such as children had increased by just 11.6%."
In our view this underlines the importance of distribution procedures and data collection that allows
1. Verification of nets reaching intended beneficiaries and
2. Regular post-distribution monitoring to understand continuing net usage.
AMF has faced challenges with some potential distributions in trying to ensure these elements are part of a distribution plan and, where their inclusion has not been possible, has been unable to agree to fund nets. We see these elements as key.
See also:
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The second post-distribution net use survey was conducted in Ntcheu District during April/May 2013. 9,250 households across all 37 health centre catchment areas in the district were visited, unannounced, to assess net use and condition. The data were published as they were being entered in Malawi. We have now received the summary document from Concern Universal in Malawi who coordinated the survey and worked closely with the district health team who carried it out.
The results are very strong, showing high levels of net use and nets in very good condition.
12-month net use and condition survey:
- 85% of nets are hung and in use
- 89% of the nets are still in 'very good' condition (fewer than two holes of up to 2 cms in size)
6-month net use and condition survey, for comparison:
- 90% of nets are hung and in use
- 99% of the nets are still in 'very good' condition (fewer than two holes of up to 2 cms in size)
The specific nature of the data - at the health centre level - means the District Health Officer (DHO), health centre leaders, community leaders and other health workers are able to decide what targeted malaria control intervention might be appropriate in specific areas. The data suggests targeted campaigns in 14 of the 37 health centre areas, focusing on the importance of hanging and using all nets, would be of benefit.
In circumstances where health systems and resources are stretched, information that assists with targeted interventions can help with effective use of resources and that is the aim of this information.
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We have just updated our future distributions page showing the progress made in assessing a number of potential distributions with several nearing full approval status.
You can view the current status of each distribution with visual and summary updates.
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 We recently visited Sierra Leone and a final phase of discussions now focuses on accountability elements.
AMF has offered to fund up to 3.1 million nets for the upcoming 3.4 million net nationwide universal coverage net distribution in Sierra Leone.
Significant discussions have been taking place over the last four months. AMF may provide between 2 million and 3.1 million nets. Non-net costs are in place.
Rob Mather and Richard Lane have just returned from a series of meetings in Freetown with the Sierra Leone National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and other malaria control partners.
Accountability - data and verification - and transparency are very important to us to ensure an effective, and demonstrably effective, distribution and those are the details we are following up on now.
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Over the last five years or so the cost of a long-lasting insecticide treated net (LLIN) has come down from US$5 per net through US$4 per net to now close to US$3 per net.
We believe the drop in cost per net is in part due to an increase in volume of net orders (the global quantity of LLINs distributed over the last few years has been approximately as follows: 2004: 6m, 2005: 19m, 2006: 54m, 2007: 50m, 2008: 69m, 2009: 102m, 2010: 166m, 2011: 131m, 2012: 85m) and increased competition (there are now more WHOPES Phase 2 approved nets) which has had a downward pressure on prices.
While the actual cost of a particular LLIN will vary according to size, shape, insecticide composition and brand, the most frequently distributed nets are large, family-sized nets which cost between US$2.80 and US$4.50.
In our experience, non-net costs typically amount to US$1 to US$1.5 per net. Non-net costs means all costs for shipping and transport, all pre-distribution activities (including household-level surveys to establish net need), net distribution (including malaria education activities and independent supervision), and post-distribution activities (including monitoring of monthly malaria case rate data and 6-monthly post-distribution surveys over a three year period post-distribution).
We are sometimes asked what profit the manufacturers of nets make on the nets they produce. We do not know the answer to this question albeit we would be interested in knowing.
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Peter Singer gave a TED talk recently in which AMF featured prominently. The talk was made public ten days ago and the impact on donations has been noticeable, particularly the number of recurring donations set up.
Typically, 5% of donations made to AMF are recurring. In the last ten days, the proportion of recurring donations has been 43%.
The donations made specifically as a result of Peter's TED talk so far total $65,700. Adding (potential) recurring donations during the next 11 months of $49,400 would amount to $115,100 in 10 days. This equates to 38,000 nets = 68,000 people protected.
AMF now has 964 recurring donations contributing a total of $54,000 a month, equating to an annualised $580,000 on a trailing three-month basis. You can see the latest recurring donation figures on our Behind the scenes page.
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We have now passed the $18 million mark, thanks to a donor from Boston, USA!
We also reached our 63,00th donor too! Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support and generosity.
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We have provisionally allocated a number of donations to two potential distributions, one in Senegal (440,000 LLINs) and one in Sierra Leone (3.1 million LLINs).
We are far advanced with discussions with the respective National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs) and other in-country partners and, in such circumstances, it is appropriate to allocate donations so it is clear which funds would be used to purchase the nets. If all proceeds positively, we would expect to approve purchase of the nets in the coming weeks and add details and documentation to the distribution pages.
In Senegal, we have had very productive discussions to date with the Programme National de Lutte contre le Paludisme (PNLP) who share our approach of conducting data-driven, verification-led distributions. All elements we consider important in carrying out a distribution have been agreed. We are now discussing implementation details. The net gap required for achieving universal coverage in four districts in Southern Senegal is some 660,000 nets. As additional funds are received it is possible we will fund further nets.
In Sierra Leone, 3.4 million nets are needed for a country-wide campaign to replace nets distributed in 2010 so the population remains protected. AMF has offered to fund 3.1 million nets after detailed discussions with the NMCP and other partners. The NMCP has indicated a strong commitment to transparency and data in conducting the distribution. A final round of discussions with partners will take place in-county in the next two weeks.
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Peter Singer talks about effective altruism and donating to Against Malaria in his latest TED talk.
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A significant distribution in Senegal is a step closer with very good recent progress in discussions with the Senegal National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) who share AMF's data-driven and verification-based methodology for net distributions.
See our list of Future Distributions.
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More progress has been made in assessing a number of future distributions with several nearing full approval status.
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Continued use of nets is very important and every six months a post-distribution survey is carried out to assess net usage and net condition. The data collected are used to determine if additional community-level malaria education activities are required. All data are published.
The six months post-distribution survey for Ntcheu, Malawi, of 7,657 households and 15,768 nets showed a hang-up (usage) level of 90% and the percentage of nets in a very good condition of 99% (ninety nine).
The twelve months survey is now under way and the results are being entered as the survey forms come in. You can see the data, which is being updated in real time, on the summary page. The data will then be checked before being added to the main Ntcheu distribution page.
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Everyone involved in malaria control has a fervent wish a malaria vaccine is found.
Recent results from an ongoing trial are therefore disappointing.
The trial’s report concludes: ‘The efficacy of RTS,S/AS01E vaccine over the 4-year period was 16.8%. Efficacy declined over time and with increasing malaria exposure.’
Reuters reports: ‘The disappointing results for RTS,S - the world's first potential malaria vaccine - raise further questions about whether it can make a difference in the fight against the disease, a major cause of illness and death among children in sub-Saharan Africa. "The results are kind of disappointing because we'd all like to see a malaria vaccine that has closer to 80 percent or 100 percent efficacy," said Christopher Plowe, a malaria researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, who was not involved in the RTS,S trial. There is currently no vaccine that offers complete protection against malaria. Control measures such as insecticide-treated bednets, indoor spraying and anti-malaria drugs have helped cut malaria cases and deaths significantly in recent years, but drug resistance is growing and experts say an effective vaccine could be a vital tool in eradicating the disease.’
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We have just passed $17m raised, 4 million nets funded and our 60,000th donation!
Thank you for your support which has helped protect many people from malaria.
The next two milestones we hope to reach are:
- 500,000 people participating/ed in fundraising initiatives - currently we are at 476,028. If you could organise a fundraising activity - be it just you, or a group of friends or some people at work - please do! An opportunity to have fun too.
- Increasing our base of recurring donations from $40,000 per month to $80,000 a month, so we can approach $1m per year. Recurring donations help us plan and 100% buys nets and we include more information here.
Thank you again,
Rob
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We have recently made significant progress in assessing a number of future distributions.
You can view the current status of each distribution with visual and summary updates on our future distributions page.
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For the first time AMF is funding non-nets costs for a distribution i.e. costs beyond those of just the nets themselves. It is not expected this will become the norm or indeed be repeated. The funding for non-net costs will NOT come from public donations to AMF. Our promise that '100% of the funds you donate will buy nets' still stands. They will instead be covered by donor/s who have arranged with us to donate for this specific purpose. We explain here why we are doing this.
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We have approved a distribution of 235,000 LLINs to the two districts of Balaka and Dedza in Malawi. Both districts are badly affected by malaria. These nets will be distributed form March to July 2013 and will achieve universal coverage - coverage of all sleeping spaces - across both districts. Each net protects close to two people. Our distribution partner for this distribution is Concern Universal.
You can view the details of the Balaka and Dedza distributions on our website.
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We have now passed the $16 million mark, thanks to a donor from Ridgefield, Connecticut, USA!
Our sincere thanks to everyone for their support and generosity over the past month.
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Only one week after passing the $14 million mark we have just passed the $15 million mark! What a great start to the year.
We are also about to pass through 57,000 donors too. You can see all our milestones on the website.
Best wishes to all for 2013.
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