On a hot and humid Thursday afternoon, the courtyard of The Gambia’s Central Medical Store swarms with people. Despite the oppressive heat, dozens of people gather under a large tent.
From time to time, clouds appear before dissipating, while the small puddles left by a light rainfall the day before remind everyone of the onset of the rainy season, a period known to bring a surge in malaria cases.
Against this backdrop, the Gambian Red Cross Society (GRCS) officially handed over a vital consignment of anti-malarial medications to the Ministry of Health in support of the upcoming Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign.
This life-saving donation is part of the “Accelerating Malaria Elimination in The Gambia” project, funded by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“This delivery comes at the right time,” said Lamine Dampha, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health during the handover ceremony. “The rainy season, commonly referred to as ‘malaria season’, has just begun. These medications will allow us to protect tens of thousands of people, especially children under five, who continue to bear the highest burden of malaria, across the country”.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Charles Businge, the IFRC’s regional director for Africa emphasized that these medications come at a crucial time when global funding for malaria is declining.
In this context, Ibou Fye Njie, secretary general of the GRCS, says these medicines take on even greater significance.
“Delivery of these medicines marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to achieve a malaria-free Gambia, while emphasizing that the project will finance the operational costs for the implementation of four SMC cycles during the 2025 malaria season in Kombo North District,” he said.
Supporting a nationwide mosquito nets distribution campaign
Valued at over USD 108,000 (excluding transport costs estimated at USD 35,000), the medications handover follows a large-scale mosquito net distribution campaign, conducted in partnership with the Senegalese authorities as part of a coordinated cross-border malaria control effort.
More than 1.5 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets were distributed free of charge to households across The Gambia.
Supporting this nationwide effort, 280 Red Cross volunteers were mobilized across all regions to raise awareness about malaria prevention. They went door-to-door educating families about the proper use of mosquito nets, provided information on where to collect them, and assisted Ministry of Health staff with registering beneficiaries.
“I’m very grateful to have received a mosquito net,” said a mother of three from the Central River Region. “This year, I know my children and I will be protected from malaria.”
Malaria: a major public health threat
Malaria is one of the top ten causes of death in The Gambia, with the entire population of the country at risk of the disease. It also remains a leading cause of childhood mortality and morbidity in The Gambia, where under-five mortality rate remains high at 56 per 1,000 live births.
Despite significant progress in recent years, global malaria funding is insufficient to sustain essential services for a growing population and addressing biological and non-biological threats.
Speaking on behalf of His Excellency Liu Jin, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to The Gambia, Mr. Zhan Tong, Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy, reaffirmed China’s commitment:
“We are confident that, with the strong support of the Chinese government and the international community, we will see tangible progress very soon,” he said.
The “Accelerating Malaria Elimination in The Gambia” project, launched in September 2024, will run through September 2026, with a total budget of USD 1,978,879.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
