Background to the Project
Mozambique is among the ten nations most affected by malaria. Stable transmission rates make malaria Mozambique's primary cause of morbidity and mortality, resulting in an estimated 44,000 - 67,000 malaria-specific deaths each year, across all age groups. Because the entire country is malaria endemic, approximately 682,000 pregnant woman and 2.8 million children under age five are at risk. Exasperated by poverty and well known as a disease that causes both illness and death, malaria significantly burdens Mozambican families, communities, the health system, and national resources. Controlling malaria is one of the nation's greatest challenges. Country specific data indicate that malaria contributes to 15% of the disease burden in the general population with higher figures for children under 2 years, accounting for 40% of outpatient consultations, 60% of pediatric inpatients, and a third of hospital deaths.
The project will focus its "political angle" on advocating for the inclusion of malaria in current policy debates on poverty, especially the Poverty Reduction Action Plan. For its work with businesses, the project will engage existing groups such as the Confederation of Mozambican economics associations and Mozal, the largest industrial project in Mozambique.
