Why it is important  
Every year in Tanzania 80,000 people die from malaria, most of them children.  
With the right test and treatment, a child can make a full recovery from malaria. However, most people need to pay for the test and medication, and many people in rural villages are unable to afford it.  Some of the local clinics in villages have run out of treatment kits and as a result children are dying needlessly. 
 
How it makes a difference
Last year, we tested over 8,000 people, most of them vulnerable children. 7,300 of those we tested had contracted malaria and we provided treatment. We are continuing with our malaria testing and treatment programme in schools and remote villages. This year because of COVID and the recent heavy rains we have increased our malaria testing by 45%. Our health outreach teams save thousands of children’s lives by giving them this simple treatment.  
 
Neema’s Mum was too poor to take her daughter to be tested and asked us to help her. She had a very high temperature when we picked her up, but the following day, after being tested and treated for malaria, she was running around and playing with her friends!