International development organisation, 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 the former Transaid team member who 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.
Transaid was founded in 1998 by Save the Children, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) and The Princess Royal, with the aim of transforming lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. To-date, Transaid has worked across 23 countries.
For more information and to find out how you can support the organisation visit www.transaid.org.
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Note to Editor:
About Transaid
Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.
Transaid enjoys strong backing from the transport and logistics industry and the active involvement of its patron, HRH The Princess Royal.
For further press information:
Maddy Matheson at Transaid: +44 (0)20 7387 8136 / maddy@transaid.org
Natalie Ganshert or James Keeler at Garnett Keeler PR: +44 (0)20 8647 4467, or by email to natalie.ganshert@garnettkeeler.com / james.keeler@garnettkeeler.com
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