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photograph by Marcus Bleasdale - VII The Roll Back Malaria Zambezi Expedition boats reaching the Indian Ocean. Mozambique > Pictures of the Day March 30 - May 31, 2008 photographs by Ron Haviv - VII Fighting Malaria on the "River of Life"The Zambezi, lifeline of southern Africa, has been the setting of an unprecedented health project. For more than two months, from March through May 2008, the Roll Back Malaria Zambezi Expedition has travelled almost 3,000 kilometres from the source to the delta to showcase successes and highlight challenges associated with the fight against one of the globe's leading infectious killers. Despite both preventable and curable, between one and three million people die of malaria each year - every 30 seconds a child in Africa. The Zambezi Expedition had set out to rally political support for the fight against malaria and demonstrate the need for coordinated cross-border action. Navigating through Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the expedition stopped along the shores of each country to take on board local malaria control staff, document the malaria situation in remote river communities and hand out insecticide treated nets and malaria medicines. Journalists from around the world travelled with the team, being able to document the situation and advocate for more action in the fight against the disease. The Zambezi Expedition has also laid the groundwork for a regional malaria control initiative. The "Trans-Zambezi project" will help to boost health, tourism and economic development in the Trans-Zambezi region and save millions of lives, thus turn the lifeline of southern Africa into a "River of Life".
Retrace the Zambezi Expedition
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Photographer Marcus Bleasdale - VII travels with the expedition in Mozambique
Roll Back Malaria press release on World Malaria Day
