Faith Leaders Cooperate to End Malaria

At last month's launch of Faiths United for Health, the Sultan of Sokoto (Nigeria's most senior Muslim leader) and the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja joined hands to kick-off the training of an initial, core group of 100 faith leaders. Members of this core group plan to fan out across Nigeria, training a cadre of their peers, who will train yet another group, and so on, until at least 300,000 have been mobilized to spread the life-saving message that Nigerians can defeat malaria through the use of bed nets.

Many Nigerians, especially those in rural areas, believe that malaria is caused by too much work or too much sunshine; so, the faith-leaders first task will be as health-educators. And, that's not their only hurdle. Nigerians have lived with malaria for so many generations that they tend to accept it as a normal part of life; overcoming this complacency will be a challenge.

There's reason for considerable optimism about the interfaith campaign. At the kick-off event in Abuja, the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria, Mr. Ray Chambers, said it best: "Working together, Nigeria's faith leaders have the credibility, influence, and reach to...ensure that the next generation of Nigeria's children will have the strength and good health to pursue their hopes and dreams."

We are thrilled about these recent developments led by Vision Africa's Bishop Sunday, as he directs the newly formed Nigerian Interfaith Action Association (NIFAA). Through NIFAA, Vision Africa is putting its mark on what has been described as the largest Christian-Muslim collaboration in history, as the entire religious sector comes together to focus on Nigeria's fight against malaria.

While NIFAA helps to coordinate and train faith leaders, Vision Africa is now in a strong position to deliver new malaria programs as part of Nigeria's overall campaign.