With its goal to halve the malaria burden in Africa by 2010, Roll Back Malaria knows all about difficult challenges. We offer our best wishes to the African athletes in their own personal challenges in Sydney. In the last Olympics in Atlanta Africa had its best games to date, winning a total of 34 medals. The Tanzanian team has just left for Sydney following training at Moshi in the Kilimanjaro region of northern Tanzania with former 5,000m Olympic gold medallist Suleiman Nyambui. More athletes from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana and Senegal are expected to sign up to the RBM campaign in the coming weeks.
Malaria has a dramatic impact on the wellbeing of Africa's people and on Africa's economic growth.
This year a commitment by African heads of state to halve the malaria mortality of Africa's people by 2010 has set the scene for a massive effort to reduce the impact of the disease. The Roll Back Malaria network responds to the needs of all people throughout the world who are affected by malaria and is backed by national governments, together with research universities, development organizations, UN-system agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private entities and committed individuals. They work together in a unique global partnership.