Gabrielle Fitzgerald of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is on the ground in Uganda with Dr. Margaret Chan, Mr. Ray Chambers, and Dr. Tachi Yamada. She reports back on their fourth day:

Kyagularyi Augustus is a subsistence farmer who lives in Bulimba, a small rural village off a dusty, rutted, track about an hour northwest of Kampala.

Augustus is also a community drug distributor for his village. When asked why he is willing to take on this added responsibility, he beamed with pride as he told visitors how much he likes helping people in his community, and the respect he gets for helping others. Dr. Tachi Yamada of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was so impressed by his commitment, he told Augustus he is a “hero to his community.”

After leaving the village, we headed to Balibaseka Secondary School, where Uganda’s Vice President, Gilbert Bukenya, hosted a ceremony to welcome the delegation, honor the volunteer drug distributors and educate the community about malaria.

After schoolchildren recited a poem reminding their listeners of the symptoms of malaria, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, asked all the young people in the audience to help in the fight against malaria. They all shouted back in unison, “Yes, we will help!”

Learn more about malaria in Uganda here.

Learn more about the Global Malaria Action Plan here.

Gabrielle Fitzgerald, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation