"Malaria has affected Africa, my homeland, in a devastating way," said Chaka Chaka, adding that "malaria devastates people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women and young children and babies. Families and communities mourn for the loss of their loved ones and African countries lose an immeasurable amount. No human life should be lost to this disease - a disease that we know how to prevent and we know how to treat."

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership today also officially announced the appointment of Yvonne Chaka Chaka as a Roll Back Malaria Goodwill Ambassador. Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, thanked Chaka Chaka for her deep commitment to rolling back malaria stating, "Yvonne's passion and powerful voice contribute enormously to defeating malaria and giving hope to communities that are most affected."

Throughout the week, people all over the world are gathering to commemorate Africa Malaria Day to call attention to the tremendous burden that malaria places on the lives and economies of those living in endemic countries. WHO Assistant Director-General for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Dr Hiroki Nakatani, welcomed WHO and UNAIDS staff and placed emphasis on the fact that malaria, along with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, is a disease of poverty that primarily affects the poor and worsens poverty’s toll. Nakatani asked Chaka Chaka to, "help us capture the attention, goodwill, hearts and assistance of people around the world."

Malaria poses one of the greatest threats to life in the developing world with more than one million malaria deaths worldwide and over 90% of these deaths occurring in Africa, south of the Sahara. In many African countries, malaria is the single leading cause of death, with one child dying every 30 seconds. Antimalarial medicines are a critical component in the fight against malaria, alongside preventive interventions such as insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying. New, effective medicines, effective prevention methods, and increased financing provide a global opportunity to reduce malaria deaths by half by 2015.

Africa Malaria Day, April 25
On 25 April 2000, African leaders from 44 malaria-endemic countries participated in the first ever African Summit on Malaria in Abuja, Nigeria. At the Summit, the leaders signed the historic Abuja Declaration committing governments to an intensive effort to halve the burden of malaria in Africa by 2010 and setting interim targets for the year 2005. To highlight the gravity of the malaria situation leaders at the Summit also declared that 25 April of each year would be commemorated as Africa Malaria Day (AMD). Efforts are currently under way to establish a World Malaria Day in recognition of the global impact of malaria and the need for greater involvement of all populations at risk.

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership
To provide a coordinated international approach to fighting malaria, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBM) was launched in 1998 by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

The Partnership now brings together governments of countries affected by malaria, their bilateral and multilateral development partners, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations, foundations, and research and academic institutions around the common goal of halving the global burden of malaria by 2010.