REACH network connects health leaders to share malaria experiences

REACH network connects health leaders to share malaria experiences

The Geneva Learning Foundation hosted its second English-language REACH session on November 20, 2024, connecting health leaders from 45 countries to share frontline malaria experiences. The session highlighted a new partnership between RBM Partnership to End Malaria and Teach to Reach.

Request your invitation for Teach to Reach: https://www.learning.foundation/teach...

Special Event on malaria: Health professionals can request invitations at https://www.learning.foundation/malaria

Global partnership targets malaria

"To end malaria, we must empower the people closest to the problem - health workers in affected communities," said Antonio Pizzuto, Partnership Manager at RBM. "This partnership allows us to listen to and learn from those on the frontlines of malaria control, ensuring their voices drive our global strategies."

What is REACH?

REACH is a new component of Teach to Reach, the global platform to meet, network, and learn. The initiative, designed specifically for organizational leaders, offers:

1. Special networking opportunities for leaders
2. One-on-one meetings
3. Dedicated communication channels

Session format

Leaders met in virtual breakout rooms of 4-5 participants for focused discussions about malaria prevention, treatment access, and community engagement. Through structured sharing of experiences, participants explored common challenges and local solutions.

Implementation challenges surface

WHO's Ajai Patience in Nigeria described creative responses when mosquito nets were being repurposed: "For the mosquito nets, majority of them, mostly those who don't come to hospital regularly, use it to do their fish ponds. Some use it to do their vegetables." Her team developed targeted education during antenatal care: "We try to make them understand the importance of not having malaria in pregnancy... we visit them in the communities to see what they are doing."

Professor Beckie Tagbo from Nigeria's University Teaching Hospital highlighted critical gaps in severe malaria treatment: "He works in a primary health care center unable to treat severe malaria. Patients must travel 60-70 kilometers to higher centers for treatment, and some lack the funds."

In Kenya, Community Health Worker Taphurother Mutange shared their systematic outreach approach: "We have been subdivided into units as health workers. I've been given 100 households I visit every week. When they have problems or are sick, I refer them."

WHO Public Health Specialist Mersha Gorfu in Ethiopia noted changing disease patterns: "Unlike previous years, malaria now occurs in high altitude areas and in patients who have no travel history."

Who attended?

The session connected 169 health leaders representing:

Organization types:
Civil Society Organizations (32%)
Government agencies including ministries of health (28%)
Other non-profit organizations (21%)
Educational institutions (11%)
International agencies (8%)

Health system levels:
Community level (29%)
National level (26%)
District level (22%)
Regional level (15%)
International level (8%)

Geographic representation with countries with highest number of participants:
West Africa (44%): Nigeria, Ghana
East Africa (31%): Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania
Southern Africa (12%): Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana
Asia (8%): India, Pakistan, Yemen
Europe and Americas (5%): United States, United Kingdom, Canada

52% were first-time participants in REACH, while 48% had previously participated in Teach to Reach programs.

Looking ahead

This session builds momentum toward:
1. The next REACH session on November 27 focusing on climate and health with Grand Challenges Canada
2. Teach to Reach 11 in English on December 5
3. A special special event on malaria on December 10

Health professionals can request invitations at https://www.learning.foundation/malaria

The initiative aims to complement existing technical forums by connecting implementation experience across levels of the health system, creating opportunities for practical learning between peers facing similar challenges in different contexts.