I recently had a chance to catch-up with Gabrielle Fitzgerald of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which supports the United Against Malaria (UAM) campaign. She graciously gave me the inside scoop on UAM and all that it’s been up to. Check it out!

How did you come up with the idea to pair soccer with fighting malaria?

We started thinking about it a couple of years ago. We realized that the 2010 World Cup was going to be in South Africa—and that malaria is a critical issue on the African continent. Then we noticed that lots of our partners already had strong relationships with soccer players and organizations. It seemed like a perfect fit.

And why is the 2010 World Cup so important?

It’s important for a couple of reasons. 2010 is the first time that the World Cup will be on African soil. It’s also a critical year for the development community. In 2010, we’ll be taking a close look at the Millennium Development Goals and how much progress has been made. There’s been lots of progress on malaria. There are more bed nets and better drugs available—both critical to the fight against malaria.

So we should expect to start seeing a lot of special UAM soccer balls around?

Absolutely. You can sign the virtual soccer ball on our website, or play the “World Cup Challenge: Kick Malaria” soccer game on Facebook. We’ve even engaged a young soccer star from Uganda, 12-year-old Charles Ssali, to carry a soccer ball as he travels the globe from Addis Ababa to New York City to Brussels. Next month he’ll travel to Cape Town for the World Cup draw and present a soccer ball to political and sports leaders.

An impressive roster of celebrities, politicians, soccer stars, organizations have lined up to help UAM.

We have such a wide range of champions—and they’re all really excited to be involved. Everyone from Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, to the South African mobile phone company MTN, toShoprite, an African supermarket chain. US Men’s National Team captain Landon Donovan even did a PSA for us that just launched at our official kick-off in New York City. We’ve attracted lots of people.

What do you think people would be most surprised to learn about malaria?

The number of people who are impacted every year. Malaria kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds. It kills nearly one million people each year. But it’s very cheap to prevent it. You can buy a bed net for just $10. This is a disease that we can do something about. In Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, we’re making real progress. A lot of progress has been made in the fight against malaria since I started working on this issue five years ago.

How did you first get interested in malaria?

I originally worked on HIV/AIDS. But when I came to the Gates Foundation, malaria was a big priority—and I learned that malaria was both preventable and treatable. It’s great to work on something that gives you such hope.

Is there something you’ve learned that’s really stuck with you?

I think what’s really sticking with me is how much energy so many of the African leaders have around the issue. There’s a real concerted effort to fight malaria, across a remarkable range of countries, organizations and individuals.

What are a few simple ways that people can get involved with UAM?

There are lots of options. Go to our website, make a contribution, encourage leaders to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Soccer really is a great metaphor for our campaign. This is a team sport. We’re all in this together. It’s time to pass the ball. It’s time to reach our goals.