Nepalese health workers helping eliminate malaria
30 October, 2012
Australian Leadership Award Fellowships
Australian Leadership Award Fellowships are provided through a competitive grants program, which was established in 2006 to fund short-term, in-Australia study, research and professional development activities hosted by Australian organisations. The program targets senior and mid-career professionals in eligible developing countries who are in positions to advance their country’s development through the work they do in their sector or institution. The program provides opportunities for Australian academic, business, community and other organisation to contribute to international development by sharing knowledge and expertise with Fellows and building linkages with partner organisations in developing countries.
Applications for Round 13 of the Australian Leadership Award Fellowships are now open.
Above: Australian Leaderships Award Fellow, Shrijana Shrestha, from Kathmandu. Photo: AusAID
Eleven health officials from Nepal recently travelled to Melbourne under an Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship with the ambition to eliminate malaria in their communities.
In Nepal, where malaria is endemic, the World Health Organization estimates that 20 million people are at risk of malaria.
During the three-week Fellowship program held in September, the seven men and four women were given training in how to prepare a malaria management plan which could be implemented in their malaria prone districts in Nepal.
Delivered by the Burnet Institute, this program was endorsed and funded by AusAID.
Shrijana Shrestha, a Fellow from Kathmandu, said she learned a lot from the Fellowship program, describing it as a wonderful experience.
Australia’s Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, James Gilling, said malaria is a major public health problem around the world and it hit the world’s poor the hardest.
‘Despite progress against malaria over the past decade, there are still more than 200 million malaria cases globally,’ he said.
‘As part of AusAID’s efforts to combat malaria in the South East Asia region and help build awareness and political commitment to malaria, Australia is hosting the Malaria 2012: Saving Lives in the Asia Pacific conference this week.’
Malaria 2012 aims to accelerate progress towards the global target of a 75 per cent reduction in malaria cases and deaths in the Asia–Pacific region by 2015.
The conference will bring together representatives of regional governments, international donors, the business sector and non-government organisations. It will culminate in a ministerial action meeting hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr, and the UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Mr Ray Chambers.
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Last Reviewed: 30 October, 2012