United to Beat Malaria

Since 2000, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) has revolutionized routine childhood vaccines for families worldwide, immunizing more than one billion children and saving more than 18 million lives. Thanks to a strong, bipartisan partnership with the U.S., Gavi’s work helps to keep Americans and the world safer and healthier. Gavi plays a critical role in supporting the rollout of lifesaving malaria vaccines. Working closely with countries and partners such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Global Fund, Gavi has delivered 12 million of doses of vaccines to children in 17 African countries since 2023. When used in conjunction with other proven prevention strategies, malaria vaccines are shown to offer significant protection for children, who are the most vulnerable to this deadly disease. This year, Gavi plans to protect?13 million more children across eight countries and vaccinate an additional 50 million by 2030, contingent on a successful replenishment. It is vital that collaboration between the U.S. and Gavi continue. To learn more about the recent Gavi withdrawal proposal by the Administration, read the following the statement by our sister campaign Shot@Life:?

?? Latest issue of THE MONTHLY ?? beatmalaria.org/monthly In this issue: Recap from a record-breaking Leadership Summit. PLUS, an NFL player and malaria survivor shares his story in a USA TODAY Op-Ed.

From March 16 to 18, I had the pleasure of attending United to Beat Malaria’s 2025 Leadership Summit in Washington, DC as 1 of 8 College Ambassadors! A campaign of the United Nations Foundation, UTBM has been a catalyst of unifying public health advocates to push for more national initiatives so that we can eliminate malaria globally. The first two days were focused on leadership training and education around health and social impact — with empowering talks from leaders at UTBM, UNICEF, Gates Foundation, Better World Campaign, and many more. Surrounded by established senior leaders and youth, this summit was a beacon of hope and passion for a common cause that has made significant progress (and still has more efforts that need to be done!). On the last day, my fellow New Jersey constituents — Davida P., Arpan Patel, Winter O. — and I took part in congressional meetings on Capitol Hill. We called attention to funding asks, bilateral programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative, and the Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases. Extending our appreciation for Congress supporting these programs in previous fiscal years, we were fortunate to meet with the offices of Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Rep. Rob Menendez, and Senator Andy Kim. In all, UTBM held 178 meetings with Champions from 45 states and DC. Public health is inherently a social justice cause; it’s important that we continue our advocacy in all health landscapes to strengthen the collective wellness of our population. Excited to see how these initiatives progress!

SOLIDARITY. Definition: “unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest.” Exemplified by: three days of the United to Beat Malaria Leadership Summit & Advocacy Day in DC. With over 120 of our most active grassroots champions from 45 states & DC, 4 committed sponsors – Gates Foundation, SC Johnson, Novartis Global Health & Vestergaard - partners, including BASF, EBC Financial Group, Valent BioSciences, JCI (Junior Chamber International) and Rotary International, we held the largest Summit in our campaign's history, reaching 178 congressional offices to advocate for lifesaving, malaria-fighting programs. There couldn’t be a more important time than NOW to bring global citizens, global health community, private sector partners, civil service organizations – to stand up for the health of every child everywhere no matter where they live. TEN truths heard at the Summit: Margaret McDonnell - "We have been working hard the last seven weeks with partners to ensure that Members of Congress know these are lifesaving programs. ... A year halt of PMI could lead to 15 million cases and 107,000 deaths… This is a crisis. And the stakes are real. But please take heart; you are where you need to be… our advocacy work is more important than ever before.” Oswaldo Ramirez – “We are not just fighting malaria. We are fighting injustice.” Dr. Winter A. Okoth, PhD “By being the voice for humanity, you are giving back, not just to your community but to the next generation who will be here.” Maegan Cross “Our advocates sent a resounding message to their elected leaders that global health programs not only create healthier communities abroad, they make us safer, healthier, and more prosperous here at home.”? “This isn’t a difficult question. Children should have access to life-saving drugs.” “#Malaria is a best buy in global public health: every $1 invested in malaria interventions delivers $36 in social and economic benefits.” “#Global #health R&D drives U.S. economic growth, supporting 600K American jobs and generating over $104B in economic activity between 2007 and 2022.” Simona Bosello "The 1.1 billion [anti-malarial] treatments that Novartis has been able to supply...that could not happen without the support of The Global Fund and PMI. Those partners - which includes UNICEF too - allow us to reach the last mile.” Dr. Roberto Montoya - "It’s possible to eliminate malaria. ... The last five years, 3 countries in [Latin America] were certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization, and Suriname this year is in the process.” Patrick Sieyes “ And I keep coming back to the fact that ending malaria makes good business sense, & I think that's what Capitol Hill wants to hear. --- Avery Avrakotos Chris Collins Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Daniel Ngamije Madandi David Walton, MD, MPH Dr. Maureen Momanyi Daniel Ufere Jamie Bay Nishi Pan American Health Organization

?? I was honored to represent New York in the United to Beat Malaria Leadership Summit this week, meeting with congressional staff to advocate for U.S. leadership in the global fight against malaria. Though my day-to-day is spent running multiple companies, I believe deeply in taking time to serve our communities — and our world — however I can. Public service like this reminds me why we do the work we do, and how interconnected our futures truly are, and I was so pleased that I could enlist my son to join and participate this year during his spring break. We championed continued support for transformative programs like the President’s Malaria Initiative, The Global Fund, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — not just for their life-saving impact, but for their strategic importance. These initiatives: ? Save lives and build health equity ? Protect U.S. armed forces stationed in malaria-endemic regions ? Strengthen global health security ? Counter China’s growing influence by positioning the U.S. as a partner of choice through soft diplomacy and investment in health systems Global health is not just a humanitarian cause — it’s a strategic investment in a safer, more stable world. #UnitedToBeatMalaria #GlobalHealthSecurity #SoftPower #NationalSecurity #TheGlobalFund #PMI #Gavi #MalariaNoMore #ForeignPolicy #USLeadership #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #ChinaInfluence #SmartPower #socialimpact Patrick Sieyes Margaret McDonnell Maegan Cross

So grateful for the chance to join again this year! Malaria is both preventable and treatable, and with continued support and collaboration, we can see it gone within our generation.

Thank you to Gates Foundation, SC Johnson, Novartis Global Health, and Vestergaard for sponsoring this year's Leadership Summit! With their partnership, we educated our #BeatMalaria champions and highlighted to Congress how malaria programs are lifesaving, cost-effective, and strategic investments that keep all of us safer.??? ?? ??

It was a great experience representing Nevada with the UNLV PARAVEC team at the United to Beat Malaria to Beat Malaria Leadership Summit 2025 in D.C. We advocated on Capitol Hill for life-saving malaria and global health programs. Thank you to United to Beat Malaria for the invite—and to everyone fighting for a healthier world. Together, we can beat malaria! #UnitedToBeatMalaria #GlobalHealth #UNLVPARAVEC #Nevada #EndMalaria #Malaria

When I immigrated to Texas at the age of 11, I never imagined I’d one day walk through the halls of U.S. Congress to advocate for what I believe is right. El Salvador is known as “The Country of Smiles,” where its values have taught me about the sanctity of life—because without life, we have no more Constitutional rights. This past January, I was laid off from my role as a Program Analyst in the Office of HIV/AIDS at USAID. Every choice I’ve made over the past decade has been in service of this ideal. It was the greatest honor of my life to work toward the eradication of #HIVAIDS. #PEPFAR has been the most significant contribution by any government to end a disease in the history of humankind. It is not often that we get to do so much for so many with so little. What amazes me most are the statistics. A child dies from HIV every hour, and a child dies from malaria every minute. When Americans are asked how much we should spend on foreign aid, they say around 10%. Yet, we actually spend less than 1%. Some argue that #PEPFAR is overfunded—but in my view, everything else, including #PMI, is actually underfunded. When I spoke to congressional offices, I shared my work with the Pediatric & Maternal HIV Branch (PMB). My colleagues were like the Avengers—each with a unique and superhuman ability. They are the most intelligent and compassionate individuals I’ve ever had the honor to work with. As professionals, they taught me how to do so much with so little. As people, they taught me about kindness. Their common denominator was their love for children. When I think about children, I think about my 3 year old niece Arlette who was diagnosed with leukemia. I think about the strength of her parents. I think about the future she deserves. And I cannot fathom what parents must feel in other parts of the world when their children die from HIV or malaria. I shared about Arlette because her constitutional right to life must be protected—and so must the right of millions of innocent children around the world. Even though these past few weeks have been some of the most difficult in my life, I recognize I am privileged. I have friends and family who care for me, who understand me. Thank you to United to Beat Malaria and to the United Nations Foundation—to Maegan Cross, Leander Vergara, Oumoul B., and Executive Director Margaret McDonnell. Because of you, I was able to reconnect with my colleagues, to hug them, to cry with them, and to grieve. Thank you for creating an inclusive environment, and for your incredible generosity. — The song “Sombrero Azul” was written in honor of the resilient spirit of Salvadorans during the Civil War. I was born six years after that period of armed conflict, and I’ve always wondered how my people survived such immense suffering. As a Salvadoran American, I hold on to its words: “Even though progress is slow, it's still progress. Keep going.” I am human. I am not perfect, and I know so little. But still—I will keep going.