Driving through Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania you can’t help but recognize the importance football (or soccer for us Americans) plays in the lives of the people here. Billboards advertising everything from Fanta to cell phone minutes us football stars and teams to market products and children and adults alike wear their favorite team’s jersey – I think I have counted at least seven different clubs in an afternoon alone. 

It turns out that Dar is the perfect setting for United Against Malaria to partner with its first healthcare company, Novartis. Novartis CEO Dr. Daniel Vasella was in the country to provide the 250 millionth dose of Coartem, a malaria treatment widely used in Africa, and he took the opportunity to further Novartis’ malaria awareness activities by joining United Against Malaria. 

At a press conference Vasella was joined by Malaria No More’s Mark Green, former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania, and the Chief Medical Officer for the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, Dr. Deo Mtasiwa. The group signed a UAM ball to express their commitment to work towards universal coverage of bed nets and an end to malaria deaths. 

Malaria No More and United Against Malaria are lucky to have such an important partner in our efforts to change the face of a continent by ridding it of malaria.

Categories:Global Health Community