Ashley Judd visited Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an Ambassador with Population Services International’s Five and Alive program in late April. She documented her impressions and experiences in a personal journal, which have been transformed into a week-long series of blog posts.

Day 2:

1 in 12 children born here will die before age 1, and then an additional child per 7 will die before 5. Malaria, preventable and treatable, is cause number 1. There are 2 million cases of simple malaria a year in public health facilities and 4 million cases that are not treated at all….children average 23 cases a year. Death by mosquito bite. I think of that the next time you play badminton and get all annoyed. At least it’s not killing you and your babies.
To take this on, we socially market a net called “Tuzanet,” which is pre-treated with the appropriate insecticide and lasts for 3 years. It is available at a very small price which research shows different sectors of society can afford (”market segmentation”), and we give them away for free in many areas as well. This approach of private sector availability combined with recent free distribution of 3 million bed nets to caregivers of children under age 5, pregnant mothers, and the HIV+ helped achieve a stunning 60% reduction in malaria cases in 2007!

For treatment, we have made Coartem available at government 227 registered pharmacies nationwide (registered is important to ensure correct education is given with the sale of the product regarding its use to avoid generation of myths and creation of resistance to meds). We have “over packaged” instructions from the manufacturer, one of my favorite things that we do. We make it a brand, “Primo,” which we “market,” and provide pictorial and local dialect instructions for the low/non literature. Even the photos of the babies guide care givers on correct dosage based on age. It’s a truly wonderful thing and I get very, very excited about over packaging!

-Ashley Judd

Read the rest of this entry, on Five & Alive’s website.

Five & Alive, a program of Population Services International (PSI), provides children and their families with the education, products, services and care needed to improve health and save lives in more than 30 countries. www.fiveandalive.org