Minister André Mama Fouda endorses Drive Against Malaria

Yaoundé, December 2008

His Excellency Minster of Public Health, André Mama Fouda, endorses collaboration of working together with Drive Against Malaria in Cameroon. Drive Against Malaria being active in over 32 countries in the continent for the last 9 years, choose Cameroon as a permanent base for their activities in the fight against malaria. Andre Mama Fouda,: “I acknowledge the importance of Drive Against Malaria in fighting malaria in many African countries. We are honoured you choose Cameroon as a permanent base and I think you made a good choice.” Professor Gervais Ondobo Andze (Directeur de la Lutte Contre la Maladie) said: “We like to see Drive Against Malaria collaborate with the Ministry of Health working with interventions such as Onchocerciasis, vaccination programmes and protecting the environment by planting trees as malaria and deforestation are closely linked.”

Michelin Cameroon support Drive Against Malaria

Update Service Drive Against Malaria
Amsterdam, 2008-12-07 By: Hans de Jong

Michelin Cameroon has a strong sense of commitment to the Cameroonian population to help improve healthcare in the country. General Manager Michelin, David Franςois says: “ In our company it is not only about tires. We are here to help each other. That’s evident.” Full information see Pdf

Bimbia Camp 4 Cameroon

Early this year we met a 3 year old little girl who lost her leg after she was ran over by a small motorbike. As she had no walking aid .the girl could only scoop herself around her grandmother’s house. I spent the summer thinking about the life of the youngster and decided to buy her a pair of crunches from the local pharmacy back home. After I told the pharmacy the story, they gave me the crunches for next to nothing. This was the best present we have ever given and only cost seven Euro. The girl is so happy to be mobile again – as we all are.

REPORT FROM AN EYE WITNESS

Drive Against Malaria: Shocking circumstances Pygmies
Baka Pygmies in the East are extremely poor and live FAR under the poverty level.
The people here have no access to nets, no effective medication to treat malaria and no diagnosis material. Drive Against Malaria spoke with people in the village to listen to their stories and find out how bad the situation really was. Julia Samuel: “We encountered the same heartbreaking situation over and over again. Mothers approached us, and asked us to look at their sick babies and children. They were all desperate – they knew their children were dying, and they knew that the consultation and medication they needed was far too expensive for them. A mother lost 6 of her children. We told her we give free nets to protect her family. This is an everyday tragedy. This is the daily reality among the poorest people in Africa. This is why, every day that the DRIVE AGAINST MALARIA spends doing this work, is of vital importance.” Full story see PDF

Bimbia Cameroon

BIMBIA VILLAGE

An alarming increase in malaria in Cameroon’s southwestern
coastal area

“Drive Against Malaria” focuses on malaria prevention in this area through the distribution of LLITNs, ACTs and diagnostic support

Edited by: Stephen Johnston

Bimbia Village is situated in Cameroon’s mountainous southwestern coastal area – in the Limbe Healthcare Area – and has over 4,000 inhabitants. Despite an explosive increase in malaria during the past two years (2007 WHO report), the village had no LLITNs, ACTs or diagnostic material.
This mountain village’s Health Care Centre was empty when we arrived, even though health care here is essential for surrounding villages, especially during the rainy season, when inhabitants are unable to reach the hospital in Limbe. The first priorities for the Health Care Centre are impregnated mosquito nets, scales for adults and babies, beds, diagnostic material, KTab 123, LLITNs, ACTs, and sterilisation equipment. Full report in PDf.

SOLANGE’S DOUALA ORPHANAGE
Drive Against Malaria in Solange’s Douala Orphanage
2008
Updateservice: Amsterdam
By: Hans de Jong

(Douala Health Care area)
This orphanage was founded in 1998 as the personal initiative of Solange, a Cameroonian woman who was determined to improve the living circumstances of children in Douala. The orphanage takes care of very young, parentless children as well as children whose parents cannot take care of them, and has grown from one woman’s love for just a few children into a well-known institution in Douala.

It is mainly the church that brings children into Solange’s care. The orphanage currently houses 60 children, and each week brings more. All of the children go to school, and what little money she is able to raise goes towards necessities – the school, rent, gas bills, and food. There is no money left over for health care, and there are no LLITNs to distribute.

HOW WE USE YOUR DONATION

As soon we receive your donation, we adjust your support immediately into our order of mosquito nets and malaria treatment in the same year.
All donations received in the first and second half of 2008 are spend on malaria prevention projects in rural Cameroon villages as: Bakingili, Solange Orphanage, Bimbia Camp 1, ChopFarm, Bimbia Village, Mabetta, Lomie and Bosquet until February 2009.
You receive the updates about the projects in the same year.
In the second half of 2008 Drive Against Malaria starts also new projects in:
- the Ako area of West Cameroon
- the forest villages around Mount Cameroon, South West province
- the swamp area west of Mbongo village
- the East province south of Yokadouma, Pygmee area.

Together we can beat malaria!
We keep you posted!

The DAM-team,
Cameroon.

GLOCALGAZ SUPPORT

Drive Against Malaria receives US $ 10.000 from Kosan Crisplant/GlocalGaz Cameroon. Unite in the fight against malaria for Africa is essential to maximize the prevention of malaria. The Drive Against Malaria (DAM) received support from the private sector in Cameroon to distribute more free treated mosquito nets and anti malaria treatment in rural areas. DAM will use this donation to support the community around Bimbia in the West Province and the Pigmy population in the East. This malaria-prevention-programme started in the first half of 2008. DAM continues her work in these areas from October 2008 until February 2009

Cameroon Ambassador supports

Wednesday 24 September 2008 marked a historic ceremony at the Noordeinde Palace of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, following the presentation of the credentials of the new and only Cameroonian female Ambassador worldwide: Her Excellency Madame Odette Melono.
The 48-year old mother of three, endorses the fight against malaria in her own country, to protect young children and pregnant women.
H.E. Melono: “ Malaria is endemic in my country, especially in the rural areas. I think Drive Against Malaria is doing a great job in Cameroon which I embrace. A permanent base is now important for the Drive.”
The new Ambassador of Cameroon in The Hague supports the Drive Against Malaria to set up a NGO base in Cameroon. This country is also from high importants for DAM due to the geographical location between other West African countries like Nigeria, Chad, Central Africa Republic, Gabon and the Congo. Countries who need support in malaria prevention.
Most goods arrive via the port in Cameroon. Therefore a permanent base for DAM in Cameroon is essential.

Tropicare donate 20,000 Euro

Dutch “De Telegraaf” was invited by Tropicare in Almere, to witness the handover of a cheque for € 20.000 to enable Drive Against Malaria (DAM) to supply 4000 nets to Africa’s oldest tribes of the Congo Basin. This donation is the final touch and the completion of the 3 year “Net for a Net Campaign” of Tropicare. This campaign started in 2005 in which for every Care Plus Mosquito Net sold to travelers, one mosquito net has been given to children under the age of five and pregnant women during distribution projects in Africa by DAM.

Full story will be published in the Netherlands by De Telegraaf 8th November.

BINGONGOL II - A pygmy area in southeast Cameroon “Drive Against Malaria” focuses on malaria prevention for the Bantu and ignored Pigmy population in this difficult to reach area by distributing LLITNs and ACTs and providing diagnostic support. March/April/May 2008 The Bingongol II village is situated about six kilometers southeast of Lomie and has 384 families with pregnant women and/or children under the age of five. The community is dependent upon the district hospital in Lomie, but no LLITNs, ACTs or diagnostic materials were available. We distributed 384 LLITNs using vaccination cards containing health status information for mothers and their children. These health cards clearly indicated to us that malaria is endemic in this region – some mothers have lost 3 or 4 children or have had several miscarriages caused by malaria. Plans Bingongol II will remain under the care of Drive Against Malaria, and the number of nets given to the community will increase as needed. As of September 2008 we have also been providing follow-up monitoring, continuing education, and malaria diagnosis for the whole community under the ACT program. Our next area of focus is Bingongol I.
Results
■DAM has distributed over 384 LLITNs in the community;
■This distribution was accompanied by an education program about malaria prevention.

donation of 5000 Euro from Land Rover Netherlands

Drive Against Malaria receives donation of 5000 from Land Rover Netherlands.

In the De Kamers Theater, Amersfoortse. for the Best Salesman Overall 2008-2009”. After the prize giving at the end of the evening, presenter Julia Samuël was handed a cheque of 5000 Euros from Victor Kammeraat, Land Rover Netherlands. Julia Samuël: The donation came as a big surprise. Because of this we are able to provide an extra 1000 nets to the tribes of Eastern Cameroon including the Bantu & Baka Pygmies who have little access to health or education. And are often amongst the poorest communities of Cameroon. The Drive Against Malaria team leave this month to Cameroon to hand out supplies of mosquito nets with anti malaria treatment.

De Telegraaf

This advert, sponsored by Land Rover Netherlands was placed in The Netherlands biggest daily (860,000 copies) - De Telegraaf Saturday 20th September to promote Drive Against Malaria and SMS Afrika where the Dutch public can text SMS “Afrika” 4422 to buy one mosquito net for children to sleep under in West Africa. The advert was placed around the movie "Seven of Daran". This movie, shot in Africa is about a little boy who pursues his dreams.

Drive Against Malaria new website

The new Drive Against Malaria website is online from 21 September 2008. The site shows full 3 part documentary “Challenge Africa” by Jon Snow and Julia Samuel with David Robertson, video of DAM at the Royal Geographical Society June 2008, Trans World 88 -91, Press of David Robertson/Julia Samuel/DAM since 1970’s, photo galleries and much more. www.driveagainstmalria.org

Drive Against Malaria new website

The new website is presently under construction by jrhan design. It will show video logs with photo galleries. The new Drive Against Malaria site will be online by the end of August.

Help for the Pygmies of Cameroon

We have just returned from the East Province of Cameroon where there is no internet connection, roaming or electricity. Drive Against Malaria supported Catholic Mission hospitals by giving anti malaria treatment for children up to five years of age, 300 long lasting nets to the Baka Pygmies communities and training programs to schools and families. The Baka are largely ignored by the Government of Cameroon and exploited by the timber + mining industry. We witnessed and filmed hundreds of timber Lorries per day extracting tropical hardwood from the endangered forests. The rate of deforestation is increasing rapidly, largely due to the huge appetite from China and the long standing consumers of Western Europe. Rivers are polluted due to these activities and the indigenous can no longer take fresh river water without the high risk of disease + malaria is spreading fast.. To add to this destruction, mining companies are moving in to extract Cobalt as used in batteries of “environment friendly” Hybrid cars. These mining companies are forcing villages to re-locate, the destruction of more forest for its operation, cutting timber to build housing for migrant workers, cutting timber to build new roads.

Malaria No More

25th April 2008 Malaria No More Netherlands donated 50,000.00 Euro to Drive Against Malaria on First World Malaria Day

ExxonMobil

Oil giant ExxonMobil sponsored the Drive Against Malaria with a cheque $40,000.00 to support the first World Malaria Day in Cameroon 25th April 2008. Tens of thousands of mosquito nets will be given out with anti malaria treatment to protect children under five years of age from the malaria transmitting mosquito in western Cameroon.

The cheque was presended to Julia Samuel and David Robertson by ExxonMobil Benelux on 28th March at the head office, Breda.

Land Rover Netherlands unite to fight malaria in West Africa

A cheque for Euro 104,000.00 was presented to Drive Against Malaria from the sale of 20 special addition Land Rover Defenders.

The Design Edition Defender, a collaboration between Land Rover Netherlands and Piet Boon + Land Rover dealers was created to help raise funds for the Drive Against Malaria's program surrounding the First World Malaria Day in Cameroon and Nigeria 25th April 2008.