Transaid’s 2024 Showcase celebrates continued expansion of life-saving malaria work across Zambia

Transaid has used the occasion of its annual showcase event at the Africa Centre in London this week (27 November) to celebrate the roll-out of its MAMaZ Against Malaria programme to cover nearly 80% of districts across Zambia.

Launched by Transaid within a single district in 2017, the life-saving project was proven to dramatically reduce severe malaria mortality in children under six years of age – going on to be recognised in a World Health Organization report as “feasible, safe and effective in hard-to-reach communities”. The approach and the use of a pre-treatment for severe malaria at the community level has since been scaled by the Ministry of Health in Zambia to reach 91 districts, plus has the potential for adoption in other countries with a high malaria burden.

The event was attended by Transaid’s Patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, and Her Excellency The Deputy High Commissioner to the Republic of Zambia, together with more than 100 corporate supporters, partners and friends of the charity.

The showcase was held at The Africa Centre in London, with support from main sponsor and founding partner, Michelin, together with associated sponsors UK Warehousing Association, Road Haulage Association and British International Freight Association.

The showcase was also an opportunity to present the annual Victor Simfukwe Award – which recognises outstanding contribution and is held in memory of Victor Simfukwe, a Zambia-based project manager for Transaid who sadly passed away in 2019 following a road traffic crash in Zambia. Sponsored this year by Impress Communications, Lynsey Craik of John Mitchell Haulage and Warehousing won the 2024 Award for her role in organising the Scottish Transaid Dinner in September, raising more than £100,000.

Addressing the audience, Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, said: “There is an African proverb that says ‘if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together’, and I think that perfectly encompasses what we have achieved with our severe malaria response work and how far across Zambia the approach has now travelled.

“At the outset in 2017 we had just 12 months to get up and running, get the medicines into Zambia, secure clearance, deliver the training and all the components of the programme with the Ministry of Health – as well as measure our impact. The Transaid team, the community health volunteers, and the emergency transport riders all delivered beyond expectations – and all with the steadfast backing of the UK transport and logistics industry.”

Richard Bezzant, Marketing Director UK & Republic of Ireland for Michelin, said: “I had the privilege of visiting Zambia earlier this year to see Transaid’s road safety and access to health projects first-hand, and it reinforced precisely why Michelin has been involved with this special organisation from day one. We are incredibly proud to be one of Transaid’s founding partners, and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.”

Looking ahead, Barber announced the commencement of two major new Transaid projects, each offering additional opportunities for corporate partners to get involved. This includes a new project in South Africa, funded by the Canadian High Commission, to support women working in the minibus taxi sector – the most commonly used mode of transport in the Western Cape – by helping to reduce gender-based violence. The team have also begun a new project in Kenya, funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, to assist long distance truck drivers with access to healthcare, whilst also delivering key messages around road safety.

Watch more on the MAMaZ project: