Projects run by the Christian charity Compassion in Amlamé, West Africa have reported zero child deaths from Malaria since 2016.
The town of Amlamé is located about 100 miles outside of Togo's capital where Malaria is rife and, in the area, 60 children a year were dying of malaria. More than 1 million people die from malaria each year, mostly children under five years of age, with 90 per cent of malaria cases occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.
In response to the critical need in the area, Compassion opened two projects for the most vulnerable children in the community, providing education, nutritional support and medical check-ups.
Working hand-in-hand with local medical staff, project workers also help educate parents on the specific dangers of malaria and the importance of hospital treatment to save children's lives.
Parents are taught the importance of rushing a child to hospital as soon as they show symptoms of malaria. They also learn to use mosquito nets and maintain hygiene at home.
Some parents who were initially reluctant to let their children have medical check-ups due to medical costs have come to realise that hospitals could save their children's lives. A payment arrangement was also set up to support parents with medical consultation fees.
Reducing malaria has a wide and long-lasting impact. Communities are healthier, economies are stronger, and children don't miss school due to sickness.
For Grace, the project has literally been a life-saver. She experienced malaria fevers and anemia twice a month. Her parents had spent a lot of money trying to save her and were about to give up when they heard about the medical check-ups on offer through the Compassion project. Now, the doctors keep Grace under close observation and she is treated quickly whenever she displays malaria symptoms.
'If the project had not come to my rescue, my child would have been buried a long time ago,' says Yawa Abuga, Grace's grandmother.
Jennie Taylor is a writer for Compassion UK.
