A key theme of World Malaria Day 2022 is building resilience – an approach that focuses on investing in resilient healthcare systems to help the Southern Africa region achieve malaria elimination. This theme also highlights the unique opportunity for the private sector to build a resilient economy that creates employment and can tap into the power of retail to raise awareness about this deadly disease.
A successful example of this approach is Goodbye Malaria and Airports Company South Africa‘s (ACSA) partnership that began in 2018. The initiative has seen ACSA provide funding and retail space at no cost continues to employ youth who sell hand crafted, locally made causal merchandise at kiosks located at O.R. Tambo International Airport, Cape Town International Airport, and George Airport.
The funds raised are directed to malaria elimination programmes in South Africa, Mozambique, and Eswatini. The partnership has already created 63 jobs from the surrounding communities of O.R Tambo International Airport, George Airport as well as Cape Town International Airport.
In addition to empowering the youth and upskilling the crafters who make the merchandise, each unique piece sold, ranging from beautiful shweshwe pants, artisanal chocolate, and bracelets, helps raise awareness of Africa’s biggest killer, malaria, and provides ways to prevent its spread. It also educates travellers about the possibility of total malaria eradication on the continent. Proceeds from the sale of each item goes towards malaria elimination efforts in Southern Mozambique.
“Goodbye Malaria was founded on the belief that African creativity can help eradicate one of the continent’s biggest killers. However, through our airport kiosk initiative, we realised that we can also help upskill our youth and create employment opportunities,” says Sherwin Charles, co-founder of Goodbye Malaria.
“Malaria knows no borders, so this multi-layered approach to tackling these socio-economic issues, which incorporates design and creativity, significantly impacts the communities in which we operate. The profits generated were directed towards malaria elimination efforts in Southern Africa, which saw us protect over three million people in Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini during this past year,” he adds.
Goodbye Malaria and ACSA have helped upskill, train, and develop these youth in sales, merchandising, retail, and customer engagement, allowing them to create better lives for themselves and their families. These young people also have a platform to interact with local and international travellers, informing them about malaria to ensure more people entering and leaving the country can help prevent and treat this deadly disease.
“ACSA is proud of how this skills development training partnership with Goodbye Malaria. It has helped develop young people through retail skills and knowledge development training. The initiative continues to serve its purpose of creating a platform for trainees to develop an understanding of the retail industry, staff management, finance, and business models,” says Gopolang Peme, Acting Group Communications Manager, Airports Company South Africa.
“Most importantly, we’re teaching these young people the ins and outs of managing their own business while raising awareness of the malaria crisis and helping to eradicate the disease in the region.”
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 Malaria Report shows how this disease is a significant health concern for the African region, which accounted for 95% of all global malaria cases (228 million) and 96% of all malaria deaths (602,000) in 2020. Tragically, 80% of annual malaria deaths are among African children under five, with a child dying from this disease every minute.
For more information on World Malaria Day or to find out more about Goodbye Malaria’s airport kiosks initiative, visit www.goodbyemalaria.com
