27 March 2020
Countrys: World and Kenya, Zambia, Ethiopia
The restrictions on movement imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic constitute one of the largest single global challenges that the humanitarian community has ever encountered. Maintaining continuity and quality in the delivery of e...ssential assistance and services, including protection services, in the face of these restrictions requires operations to quickly innovate, leveraging fully the rich capacities and established networks within both communities of persons of concern, as well as host communities.
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The CDC's "Malaria's Impact Worldwide" webpage provides an overview of malaria's global burden, highlighting that in 2022, there were approximately 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths, predominantly among young children in sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes that nearly half the world's po...pulation is at risk, with malaria being a leading cause of illness and death in many affected countries. The page also discusses the significant economic and social costs of malaria on individuals, families, communities, and nations. Despite progress in reducing mortality rates by 36% from 2010 to 2020, recent years have seen a plateau in advancements, underscoring the need for ongoing vigilance and research.
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This video provides an overview of how a virus spreads, invades the body’s cells, and results in symptoms, as well as how a vaccine works to use the body’s natural immune response to protect us from these germs.
Specific attention is paid to the unique aspects of the COVID-19 virus, the mRNA va...ccine, the vaccine variations and boosters that are a source of confusion.
This video is part of our Supporting Vaccination Toolkit for Community Health Workers (CHWs). This free digital toolkit is designed to increase the self-efficacy and effectiveness of CHWs in conducting vaccine outreach in communities, ultimately increasing vaccination rates.
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In 2008 the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) commissioned a national health and social service system review which found that although some progress has been made in primary health care, provision of health services did not go beyond the health facilities, irrespective of the fast dist...ances between the Health facilities and community. The review then recommended that health services should be extended in a structured manner to communities through the establishment of paid health workers.
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This video focuses on acknowledgement of the stresses and experience of CHWs and the importance of self-care. Healthful coping strategies and daily self-care practices are covered, including resources for support.
This video is part of our Supporting Vaccination Toolkit for Community Health Worker...s (CHWs). This free digital toolkit is designed to increase the self-efficacy and effectiveness of CHWs in conducting vaccine outreach in communities, ultimately increasing vaccination rates.
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This Implementation Kit (I-Kit), developed by the Health Communication Capacity Collaborative (HC3), helps national and local stakeholders to design country-specific social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) campaigns that address the threat posed by substandard, spurious, falsified and fal...sely labelled (SSFFC) malaria medicines. These poor-quality medicines endanger lives by failing to treat malaria effectively, undermine health systems, and contribute to drug resistance.
The I-Kit provides practical guidance and resources in six sections, including global examples, campaign design elements, media engagement strategies and tools for knowledge sharing. It is intended for health promotion officers, drug regulators, communication specialists and global health partners. Drawing heavily on experiences in Nigeria, the I-Kit promotes evidence-based, context-sensitive SBCC interventions to safeguard communities against SSFFC malaria medicines and enhance treatment outcomes.
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Activity Brief.Formative research revealed that gold miners in remote regions of Guyana viewed malaria as an unavoidable and minor risk compared to other dangers. Building on these insights, Breakthrough ACTION co-created the 'Lil Mosquito, Big Problem' (LMBP) social and behavioural change campaign,... which targeted miners in malaria-endemic areas (Regions 7 and 8). Adopting a human-centred design approach, the campaign collaborated with the Ministry of Health, mining organisations, and miners throughout its development. LMBP used visual, low-literacy materials featuring animated and live-action characters to raise awareness of the risks of malaria and encourage key behaviours such as timely testing, adhering to treatment and consistently using insecticide-treated nets. Launched in 2019 and scaled up until 2024, this multi-channel campaign aimed to change attitudes and improve malaria prevention in these hard-to-reach communities.
Accessed on 20/06/2025.
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This malaria education poster by Children for Health uses clear, child-friendly language to raise awareness of malaria and promote its prevention. Using simple language and engaging visuals, it informs children and caregivers about key facts, symptoms and protective behaviours, such as using insecti...cide-treated nets and seeking timely treatment. Designed for use in schools and communities, the poster supports health education initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of malaria in endemic regions by encouraging children to play an active role in preventing the disease.
Accessed on 20/06/2025.
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This infographic poster provides key information on the prevention, transmission and control of malaria in Southeast Asia. It highlights regional challenges, the behaviour of malaria vectors, and community-based strategies to build resilience against the disease. Designed for public health workers a...nd communities, its purpose is to raise awareness and promote effective malaria interventions that will reduce the disease's burden on the region. Accessed June 2025
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This comic booklet introduces malaria and the mosquitoes that carry it in Africa. Through simple explanations and illustrations, it teaches readers about the habitats of mosquitoes, the species that transmit malaria and how ongoing research may lead to new ways of controlling them in the future. The... booklet is designed to help communities better understand malaria and support efforts to combat it.
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Community led-monitoring is based on the principle that «Nothing that is done for us should
be done without us”. The combination of this principle with evidence shows that community-led
monitoring is an important driver of improved service delivery and health outcomes that needs to
be re-empha...sized. Thus, the community must participate at all stages of the fight against malaria.
This guide will be useful to CSOs working in the field of malaria in the conduct of community-led
monitoring of activities efficiently and allow these CSOs to know their role and responsibilities in this
exercise at each key stage. This guide will also provide CSOs and communities affected by malaria
with templates of monitoring tools adapted to key malaria programs.
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Malaria Journal (2024) 23:255. Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a World Health Organization-recommended intervention for the prevention of malaria among children at high risk in areas with seasonal transmission. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SMC drug distribution ...was rapidly adapted to reduce contact and mitigate the risk of transmission between communities and community distributors, with caregivers administering doses.
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This comic book is an educational resource designed to raise awareness of malaria prevention among young people in Burundi. Employing a narrative approach, it features characters who demonstrate key preventive behaviours, such as using insecticide-treated nets, eliminating mosquito breeding sites an...d seeking timely medical treatment. Serving as a tool for community health education, the comic book aims to foster behavioural change and empower children to act as agents of malaria prevention within their families and communities.
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A historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are having on countries most affected by HIV. Yet it a...lso showcases some inspiring examples of resilience, with countries and communities stepping up in the face of adversity to protect the gains made and drive the HIV response forward.
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A historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are having on countries most affected by HIV. Yet it a...lso showcases some inspiring examples of resilience, with countries and communities stepping up in the face of adversity to protect the gains made and drive the HIV response forward.
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Internal displacements due to conflict and disasters are a major driver of global human mobility. While the total numbers of internal displacements by cause and geographical location are increasingly well tracked, a significant gap remains in the availability of disaggregated data on key variables ... such as age, sex, education, livelihood – for the populations impacted by these events. Data from localised case studies can provide this granularity; however, they are difficult to generalise to other contexts. This lack of disaggregated profiles complicates the work of decision makers tasked with allocating resources efficiently to address the diverse
vulnerabilities and needs of impacted communities
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Internal displacements due to conflict and disasters are a major driver of global human mobility. While the total numbers of internal displacements by cause and geographical location are increasingly well tracked, a significant gap remains in the availability of disaggregated data on key variables ... such as age, sex, education, livelihood – for the populations impacted by these events. Data from localised case studies can provide this granularity; however, they are difficult to generalise to other contexts. This lack of disaggregated profiles complicates the work of decision makers tasked with allocating resources efficiently to address the diverse
vulnerabilities and needs of impacted communities
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Beat the heat: child health amid heatwaves in Europe and Central Asia finds that half of these children died from heat-related illnesses in their first year of life. Most children died during the summer months.
"Around half of children across Europe and Central Asia – or 92 million children –... are already exposed to frequent heatwaves in a region where temperatures are rising at the fastest rate globally. The increasingly high temperatures can have serious health complications for children, especially the youngest children, even in a short space of time. Without care, these complications can be life-threatening,” said Regina De Dominicis UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.
Heat exposure has acute effects on children, even before they are born, and can result in pre-term births, low birth weight, stillbirth, and congenital anomalies. Heat stress is a direct cause of infant mortality, can affect infant growth and cause a range of paediatric diseases. The report also notes that extreme heat caused the loss of more than 32,000 years of healthy life among children and teenagers in the region.
As the temperatures continue to rise, UNICEF urges governments across Europe and Central Asia to:
- Integrate strategies to reduce the impact of heatwaves including through National Determined Contributions (NDC), National Adaptation Plans (NAP), and disaster risk reduction and disaster management policies with children at the centre of these plans
Invest in heat health action plans and primary health care to more adequately support heat-related illness among children
- Invest in early warning systems, including heat alert systems
- Adapt education facilities to reduce the temperatures in the areas children play in and equip teachers with skills to respond to heat stress
- Adapt urban design and infrastructure including ensuring buildings, particularly those housing the most vulnerable communities are equipped to minimize heat exposure
- Secure the provision of safe water, particularly in countries with deteriorating water quality and availability.
UNICEF works with governments, partners and communities across the region to build resilience against heatwaves. This includes equipping teachers, community health workers and families with the skills and knowledge to respond to heat stress.
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Small drinking-water supplies commonly experience operational, managerial, technical and resourcing challenges that impact their ability to deliver safe and reliable services. The needs and opportunities associated with these supplies therefore warrant explicit consideration in policies and regulati...ons.
These Guidelines, specifically tailored to small water supplies, build on over 60 years of guidance by the World Health Organization (WHO) on drinking-water quality and safety. They focus on establishing drinking-water quality regulations and standards that are health based and context appropriate; on proactively managing risks through water safety planning and sanitary inspections; and on carrying out independent surveillance. The guidance is intended primarily for decision-makers at national and subnational levels with responsibility for developing regulatory frameworks and support programmes related to these activities. Other stakeholders involved in water service provision will also benefit from the guidance in this document.
Designed to be practical and accessible, these Guidelines offer clear guidance that is rooted in the principle of progressive improvement. State-of-the-art recommendations and implementation guidance are provided, drawn from a comprehensive evidence review and established good practices. Additionally, case examples are provided from countries and areas around the world to demonstrate how the guidance in this publication has been implemented in practice in a wide variety of contexts.
Together with WHO’s 2024 Sanitary inspection packages – a supporting tool for the Guidelines for drinking-water quality: small water supplies, these Guidelines update and supersede WHO’s 1997 Guidelines for drinking-water quality. Volume 3: surveillance and control of community supplies. Key changes to this updated publication include a greater focus on preventive risk management and a broader range of small water supplies covered, including those managed by households, communities and professional entities.
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