Global Stars - including change makers such as David Beckham, Pierre Aubameyang, Yemi Alade, Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kipyegon and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie come together with youth voices from across the globe to demand urgent action to end malaria, as they deliver the Zero Malaria Starts with Me - Draw The Line Against Malaria campaign petition to world leaders at the Kigali Summit on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Kigali, Rwanda on June 23rd.

Held on the side-lines of the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the Kigali Summit is a milestone moment in the malaria fight, and one where game-changing political decisions are needed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, predominantly children, under renewed threat due to the perfect storm of economic, pandemic and political pressures. 

Presented at the Summit this week by acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the petition is a rallying cry to wipe out the disease that now kills a child every minute. It is the culmination of the multi-award-winning Draw The Line creative campaign, where youth from all over the world were invited to visit zeromalaria.org and send a message to leaders through a unique piece of crowdsourced artwork – a striking visual representation of the Zero Malaria Starts with Me youth commitment to end one of humanity’s oldest and deadliest diseases within a generation.

Decision makers have the opportunity to put renewed momentum behind this fight, by building on the commitment to halve malaria across the Commonwealth by 2023, and by galvanising the record funds needed ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment in New York this Autumn, totalling US$18 billion to get progress back on track.

We speak with Faith Kipyegon, a Zero Malaria Starts With Me ambassador and the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals since 1980. In this year she also achieved the 4th fastest time in world history, setting her consecutive Kenyan record. 

Faith, you are a record-breaking sports champion - namely, the second woman in history to claim back-to-back Olympic 1500m titles - and a volunteer brand ambassador for the Zero Malaria campaign. Why do you think this campaign is important at this moment in time?)

I’m proud to join this incredible campaign because I want to see an end to malaria, a disease of deep injustice, particularly as it affects the world’s poorest people, especially for women and girls. With the Kigali summit about to happen and the Global Fund Replenishment later in the year – it felt like the right time to add my voice.  

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was so careful to protect myself including making sure I slept under a mosquito net because one in three expectant mothers suffer from malaria in sub–Saharan Africa. Now my daughter is three, and she is the light of my life! My mission is to keep her safe.  

I am horrified that nearly half the world is still at risk from malaria, and COVID-19 has made this worse.  COVID led to a 69,000 increase in the number of malaria deaths between 2019 and 2020.  A total of 627,000 lives were lost - the highest number in nearly a decade. 

With malaria cases soaring, there is a real risk that malaria can get worse but we also know that ending malaria is possible – we have the tools to end it, but we need the political will and funding to get those tools to the right people, in the right places at the right time.

That’s why I was so keen to join the campaign this year.  We need to put the spotlight back on malaria.  I could see how the ‘Zero Malaria Draw The Line’ campaign could inspire lots more people to join and to call on world leaders at the Kigali Summit and the Global Fund replenishment this year commit to ending malaria for good.

The campaign's short film, in which you also feature, is very entertaining. Tell us about your experience/ involvement in it, and who the film is for and why?)

It was the first time Eliud and I have worked together on a film, and as well as being an issue we both care about so much, it was also great fun!  We also had a chance to bring other friends and runners from our camp into the production – the incredible Jackline Chepkoech, Judith Kiyeny, Augustine Choge, Laban Korir and Jonathan Korir.  See if you can spot them!

I love that this film aims to inspire young people and their communities especially across Africa to own the malaria fight by building their understanding and belief that we can end malaria in a generation. 

Africa is a young continent with over 70% of the population under 35. Malaria holds back young people’s potential and steals young futures. We know that young people across Africa understand malaria’s impact on their life opportunities and want to be more engaged in driving social change but often don’t feel included, and don’t feel there is a platform on which they can participate.  We really hope the energy from Meji’s film can help provide some of this!

I am so excited about the idea of taking youth and community voices to influence decision-makers to make commitments to end malaria ahead of the Kigali Summit and Global Fund Replenishment.

This campaign is also fronted by global icons from all walks of life such as David Beckham, a malaria champion, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, an international footballing star, Eliud Kipchoge, a Kenyan Olympic Gold-medallist and marathon world record-holder, Yemi Alade, a Nigerian Afropop singer, songwriter and actress, Bonang Matheba, a presenter at South African television - and yourself, a running champion of the 2016 Rio Olympic and 2020 Tokyo Olympic. Why do you think it is important to involve people from different walks of life? 

I can see how it can be really hard for important health campaigns to be heard in all the noise these days!  We know that music, sport, art, popular culture, and fashion, can really excite people!  And I love that it is being used here to tell the story of the devastating impact of malaria on people around the world.  By adding all our voices and energy I hope we can help reach audiences that malaria organisations can’t reach alone.

I love that the film also includes a malaria champions and voices, scientists, doctors and youth champions from around the world, so we stand together fighting against this disease.

I hope that all this energy will help drive awareness, change attitudes, creating a buzz, and put this deadly disease high on political agendas.  I hope that the ‘Zero Malaria Draw The Line campaign’ will have the power to inspire world leaders to make the decisions needed this week and later in the year to save hundreds of thousands of children’s lives.

Malaria has been around for quite some time now. Many people in our region are not shocked when they contract it or know someone who does, plus it is treatable and we have conducted awareness on how to prevent it by sleeping under mosquito nets, among others. Why do you think efforts such as Zero Malaria Starts with Me are still critical? 

I don’t think it’s surprising when you think malaria is one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases and has been around since the beginning of time, that there is can be a general acceptance and even apathy around the idea that it is here to stay.  But a child now dies from malaria every minute – that is 700 children a day – it’s been increasing due to increasing mosquito and parasite resistance as well as challenges around support.  We cannot just accept that it is here when it is preventable, treatable and endable!  And when by defeating malaria, we can save millions of children’s lives. 

Also after Covid-19 we can now see how ending malaria can make the world a safer place.  We can make health services stronger and spot new infectious diseases better – prevent them from spreading across the world.  It is more urgent than ever that we strengthen the health front line especially in the most vulnerable communities.  

We know ending malaria is possible. Global efforts over the last two decades have saved over seven million lives and prevented more than 1.5 billion cases. Half the world is malaria-free and at the start of 2020, pre COVID-19, malaria deaths were at the lowest point ever.  Together we can do this!  

The focus of the Zero Malaria Starts With Me: Draw The Line campaign is Africa’s youth. What would be your message to young people across Africa?

Every child, every young person deserves the chance to realise their potential and look forward to a bright and happy future, full of opportunities to shine. My message to young people is to get energised, to believe in themselves, and to get up and involved because malaria is one disease we can end within a generation. Add your message at www.zeromalaria.org we can unite in determination and action and shout from the rooftops – Zero Malaria Starts With Me - it’s time to take our futures back!