ExxonMobil Malaria Initiative

Nets Save Lives: Distributing insecticide-treated nets in Nigeria; Photo by Daniel Cima

The challenge
Malaria is preventable, treatable and curable. Thanks to better awareness, prevention and treatment tools, malaria deaths have dropped 20 percent over the past decade. However, with malaria still claiming about 800,000 lives each year, there is more to be done. ExxonMobil supports a wide range of prevention, treatment and advocacy programs to end deaths from malaria.

Our approach
As a major employer and investor in Africa, ExxonMobil is committed to working with partners — local institutions, international NGOs and governments — to stop the spread of malaria on the continent. Since 2000, we have committed more than $100 million for programs to fight malaria. Our funding supports partners who help improve the delivery and use of prevention tools such as bed nets; provide technical assistance to help countries increase their capacity to control malaria; and facilitate the monitoring and promotion of progress through integrated communications programs.

Bed nets
Research shows that when three-quarters of the people in a community use bed nets, malaria infection decreases and the actual mosquito population is reduced by 90 percent. Since 2000, our funding has helped distribute more than 11 million bed nets to communities throughout Africa.

Medicines
We believe that a multifaceted approach is necessary to tackle this disease, which includes the development of new medications. For example, funding from the ExxonMobil Foundation to Medicines for Malaria Venture helped support the introduction of Coartem Dispersible™, the world’s first malaria medication for children — a milestone in malaria drug discovery.

Leadership
Our support is more than financial. We actively partner with governments and agencies to assist them in developing disciplined, results-based business practices that are just as essential to combating malaria as they are to running our global operations. For example, we share our extensive experience with workforce training, project and supply chain management, data monitoring and evaluation and knowledge of economics and marketing.