Care Plus® Malaria Impact Report 2022
Care Plus® is dedicated to fighting malaria, a deadly disease that continues to ravage many communities in Africa and other parts of the world. As part of our commitment to eradicate malaria, we have released our fifth Malaria Impact Report, which documents all our activities and contributions to this important cause.
The report includes detailed information on the results of our efforts, updates on malaria eradication initiatives, and our three pillars and projects.
Additionally, the 2022 report features interviews with Arnoud Aalbersberg, who shares insights on an outreach project in Uganda’s Kampala, as well as new scientific research undertaken by Care Plus® in partnership with the Radboud University Nijmegen.
We invite you to scroll down for more information.
World Malaria Report
Each year, WHO’s world malaria report offers in-depth information on the latest trends in malaria control and elimination at global, regional and country levels. The report highlights progress towards global targets and describes opportunities and challenges for curbing and eliminating the disease.
Key results:
- The 2022 edition of the report finds that, despite disruptions to prevention, diagnostic and treatment services during the pandemic, countries around the world have largely held the line against further setbacks to malaria control.
- There were an estimated 619 000 malaria deaths globally in 2021 compared to 625 000 in the first year of the pandemic.
- In 2019, before the pandemic struck, the number of deaths stood at 568 000.
- Malaria cases continued to rise between 2020 and 2021, but at a slower rate than in the period 2019 to 2020.
- The global tally of malaria cases reached 247 million in 2021 compared to 245 million in 2020 and 232 million in 2019.
Good news:
Progress towards malaria elimination is increasing; in 2021, there were 84 malaria endemic countries compared with 108 in 2000.
Less good news:
Countries around the world have largely held the line against further setbacks to malaria control. Between 2019 and 2021, an estimated additional 13.4 million cases were attributed to disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bad news:
The percentage of total malaria deaths in children aged under 5 years reduced from 87% in 2000 to 76% in 2015. Since then there has been no change.
The latest numbers
malaria victims per year
malaria deaths in 2021
Nets distributed (2022)**
People protected (2022)**
**Via the Buy One, Give One program.
At Care Plus® we keep on pushing to reach our goal, a malaria free world by 2030. We do this by focusing on our 3 strategic pillars. In this report we want to tell you what we have done in 2022 on behalf of all our consumers, suppliers, customers and all other relevant stakeholders.
Pillar 1: Distributing of printed nets
In 2022 we handed out 5.040 mosquito nets! A great accomplishment which we could not have done without our partners Twiga, the UCFA (the Uganda Coffee Farmer Allicance) and the Coffee Quest.
Below you can find an interview with Arnoud, our Chief Mosquito officer who have travelled to Uganda this year to personally hand out more than 1000 printed and impregnated mosquito nets.
Arnoud Aalbersberg Chief Mosquito Officer at Care Plus®
In May 2022, Arnoud Aalbersberg went on an outreach to Uganda to distribute mosquito nets to the local famers and their families.
When where you in Uganda and where exactly?
In May 2022 I travelled to Uganda again to first visit Twiga Ventures in Kampala. Twiga is our mosquito net printing facility. Great to see that piles of printed nets were awaiting pick-up for distribution by UCFA. They are our partner for distributing our nets to coffee farmer families in remote areas in Uganda.
What was the main purpose of your trip?
The main purpose of my trip was to join Tony Mugoya, director of the UCFA to distribute 1.400 printed mosquito nets in the Luwero area. Luwero is 1,5 hours driving north of Kampala.
Can you tell me about the experience of printing the nets?
At the Twiga print shop I saw the mega HP sublimation printer in action. Printing beautiful designs. These prints are then cut, ready for heat transfer to the mosquito nets. At Twiga they have 2 big heat transfer machines. This is all manual labor. The nets are then folded, packed with an instruction sheet and stored until pickup by UCFA trucks.
How did people respond on their printed nets?
The coffee farmers and their families that I talked to were very grateful and pleased with the printed net. They love the fact that they can choose a preferred print. The distribution of the nets at local cooperatives was done in a very organized way. Every distributed net is registered by name and phone number so we can track where the nets are and we can ask the receiver questions at a later stage.
What was your personal experience whilst doing this?
Joining outreaches distributing nets is a very confronting but also rewarding activity. Only when you are in rural areas where malaria is a daily thread to families, you can see the severity of this infectious disease. It’s rewarding because I experience the gratitude and genuine belief that Care Plus® is helping them to reduce the number of malaria episodes per year and therefore saving lives and creating more income for the families as they miss out easily 1-2 months income per year due to malaria sick leave.
What other activities did you undertake whilst being there?
Besides outreaches for distributing printed nets, I also was invited by a big Rotary club in Kampala to meet stakeholders that could elaborate on the poorest areas in Uganda where Rotary is providing help, also with printed mosquito nets. I was invited to a Rotary Sesse Islands event where the new president was installed. The leaving president actually thanked Care Plus® for supporting the Sesse Island outreach in front of more than 300 Rotarians, all in influential positions in their business live. Amazing to have a beer with a 5 star general reporting to the president directly. Because of these kind of events doors are opened to further distribute nets!
Pillar 2 – Support scientific research
A method that we have been using at Care Plus® for years is printing the mosquito nets. Experience has shown that the mosquito nets with beautiful prints are used for the right purpose, instead of being used as fishing nets, landfill and other purposes. To reinforce this method, we started a scientific study in 2022 in collaboration with Radboud University Nijmegen, among others, with the goal of proving the intervention effectiveness of the supporting mosquito net versus the unprinted mosquito nets. Ultimately this could lead to a more successful social intervention of handing out impregnated nets to eradicate malaria by 2030.
We collaborate with great partners from many different corners of our society:
Survey54 enables companies to grow and scale with fast and transparent insights from audiences across Africa and emerging markets. They are helping us with the right research methodologies.
The Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance (UCFA) is formed by 110 primary cooperatives. Tony Mugoya, their Chief Operating Officer is helping this research by finding the right groups of respondents within the UCFA. He is also the connection point to local scientists and other behaviour specialists that help us making this research valid and effective.
Elisabeth Kemigisha is a social behavior change professional working in and around Kampala. With her extensive knowledge on social interventions and changing behaviour she helps us with the research in many ways.
Thijs Verwijmeren, assistent professor @ Radboud University
Thijs tells about the scientific research on the social intervention of fighting Malaria in rural areas in Uganda by using image printed mosquito nets.
What do you think of the research goal that has been defined by Care Plus® and Meduprof-S?
I think it’s an important societal question because it prevents malaria, and at the same time it’s theoretically interesting because making behaviour attractive in the moment is an underexposed part.
What do you wish to accomplish with the outcomes of this research?
I wish to give a successful example of applying this idea of changing the value of the wished behaviour in a real behavioural practical situation.
My research experience, theoretical knowledge of behaviour and behaviour change techniques.
Sorayma Piron, Project coordinator @ MeduProf-S
Sorayma tells about the scientific research on the social intervention of fighting Malaria in rural areas in Uganda by using image printed mosquito nets.
What do you think of the research goal that has been defined by Care Plus® and Meduprof-S?
I think it is important to look at the results of the intervention because it will create more awareness and thus more impact if it is known that printed mosquito nets make a difference in decreasing malaria prevalence.
Do you have a specific reason why this topic interests you? And why you decided to join & help this specific research?
Yes, I think this project is a good example of a simple solution to a behavioural problem. This research will shine a light on the difference a printed mosquito net makes in comparison with a regular mosquito net.
I hope we can use the results to better our intervention and to spread the word so that printed mosquito nets will be used more often, and we will reach a malaria-free world in 2030.
My expertise on behaviour change helps with designing the questionnaire to get the insights we need. I also include my knowledge of doing research and writing a scientific article.
Pillar 3: Creating an equal level playingfield
This pillar is aimed at ensuring the dissemination of knowledge of relevant malaria studies around the world. With this we ensure that information ends up in the right places. Since 2016, we have indicated this by making a donation to the Dutch Malaria Foundation, which is headed by Ingeborg van Schayk. With Care Plus® we are a funding a large number of projects that it undertakes together with a team 2 to 3 people in Kenya.
Ingeborg van Schayk – Director of the Dutch Malaria Foundation
What does the foundation do?
MalariaWorld is the world’s scientific network for malaria professionals.
“If knowledge is power, then MalariaWorld brings that power and knowledge base to the world at large: the first step to malaria elimination.”
MalariaWorld is the world’s largest free online scientific network for malaria professionals. One place on the internet to inform and educate scholars, students, researchers, health professionals, policy makers and journalists to strengthen their efforts in the global fight against malaria. It serves as a one-stop shop for malaria scientific articles, reports, news, blogs, webinars, events and jobs. Eleven thousand malaria professionals in 140 countries enjoy the free services of MalariaWorld today. MalariaWorld is freely accessible 24/7 and disseminates its content through a weekly email newsletter and active social media engagement.
MalariaWorld has been working with a team in Kenya for the past 13 years and provides a job- and career building opportunity for 3 young people in this malaria-endemic country.
Experiences from people in the team
Kabogo Ndegwa is a computer and CISCO certified science graduate in programming, data management and networking. He joined the MalariaWorld team 13 years ago. As head of the Kenya team he is the Scientific Publications Content Manager and in charge of searching and uploading all scientific malaria publications on the MalariaWorld website. “Through my work, I ensure that all malaria professionals in the world have access to the same malaria information. With this I contribute to a malaria-free world.” (Kabogo Ndegwa, Nakuru – Kenya, 20 March 2023).
Alex Matheka has a Bachelors graduate in Accounts. He joined the MalariaWorld Kenya team in November 2022 as Scientific Publications Content Assistant. “I have known so many children who died of malaria. I am happy to contribute to the fight against this deadly disease with my job for MalariaWorld.” (Alex Matheka, Nakuru – Kenya, 20 March 2023).
Andrew Malului is a diploma graduate in Sales & Marketing. He joined the MalariaWorld team in September 2022 as Scientific Publications Content Assistant. “Malaria is a top killer disease in my country. I believe that all malaria professionals should have equal access to scientific information so they can focus on protecting people against malaria and save lives. I am proud to contribute to this.” (Andrew Malului, Nakuru – Kenya, 20 March 2023).
World Malaria Day event
On April 25th, 2022, on Care Plus® 30th birthday, the World Malaria Day event was held at the Floriade in Almere, bringing together malaria professionals to share knowledge and insights in the battle against malaria. The event was opened by the Alderman of the city of Almere, Maaike Veeningen, who spoke about the importance of cause related companies that look further than their own backyard.
One of the highlights of the event was a presentation by tropical doctor, Ronald Hulzebosch, who shared insights on the impact of malaria on the daily lives of people, particularly in regions where the disease is prevalent. The doctor highlighted the challenges faced by individuals and communities affected by malaria and the importance of early detection and treatment.
Another speaker at the event was Willem van Prooijen, the director of the Twiga Foundation, who shared the learnings from the social intervention of mosquito nets in Uganda. He explained how the foundation had been working to provide mosquito nets to individuals and families in Uganda and the positive impact that this intervention had on reducing the incidence of malaria in the region.
Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to network with other professionals, share their own experiences and best practices, and learn from the latest research and innovations in the fight against malaria. The event was a valuable platform for experts to come together, exchange knowledge, and develop strategies for achieving the goal of eradicating malaria.