Video: Ugandan Youth Soccer Player and Malaria Survivor, Soccer Stars and Prominent Malaria Champions Launch United Against Malaria Campaign in New York

Team of International Champions including Landon Donovan, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, and Actress Molly Sims, Pledge Support and Join Leaders including UN Special Envoy for Malaria Ray Chambers, in the Fight Against Malaria

• Press Release
• Source: United Against Malaria
• On 7:00 am EST, Tuesday November 10, 2009

NEW YORK, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Twelve-year-old Ugandan soccer star and malaria survivor Charles Ssali, together with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, is making a stop in New York today to formally launch the United Against Malaria campaign in the United States. Starting with a breakfast event in Times Square, Ssali will be welcomed to the United Nations by avid soccer fan, Deputy Secretary-General Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro. This initiative is a partnership that aims to harness the popularity of soccer and the excitement leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa(TM) as a way to raise global awareness and build worldwide commitment to ending malaria, as well as increase the use of prevention tools and malaria treatment in Africa.

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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091110/NY08429LOGO )

During the global launch period over the coming weeks, the United Against Malaria team will be led by Ssali who is the under-12 leading goal-scorer in his native Uganda, one of the top five malaria-endemic countries in the world(i). Ssali will travel on an intercontinental journey encouraging public and private sector leaders to pledge their support of the initiative by signing a campaign soccer ball that will then be delivered to African leaders. Ssali will make multiple stops in the U.S., Europe and Africa in an effort to raise malaria awareness and garner additional campaign support ahead of the World Cup Draw, being held in Cape Town, South Africa on December 4, 2009.

"I love soccer and I hate malaria," Ssali said. "I live in Uganda where I love to play soccer with my friends, but, sometimes they're too sick to play. I hope my global journey will help soccer fans all over the world understand this disease that affects my home town and many others in Africa. I hope to get as many people as possible to sign my ball so I can bring it back to our African leaders and show them how the world is behind us in our efforts to end malaria."

Malaria is a devastating disease even though it is entirely treatable and preventable(ii). Half of the world population, 3.3 billion people, are at risk of malaria and there are nearly one million deaths each year. Malaria disproportionately affects people on the African continent but in just two years, concentrated efforts have reduced malaria deaths by more than 50 percent in countries like Eritrea, Rwanda and Zambia. A comprehensive approach, including the use of mosquito nets, indoor residual spraying and effective medicines like artemisinin-based combination therapies, can help African countries effectively tackle malaria within their borders and across the continent to end malaria deaths by 2015.

"In the 90 minutes it takes to play a football match, we can save 180 people who would otherwise die from malaria," said Landon Donovan, Los Angeles Galaxy soccer star and a United Against Malaria champion. "Knowing that this disease is both preventable and treatable makes it all the more necessary for us to eliminate it once and for all. I am committed to helping highlight this effort on a global level leading up to the 2010 World Cup and am honored to be a captain for this cause."

Additional United Against Malaria champions include a variety of influential leaders and stars from across the globe including U.S. Soccer and individuals such as Bono, UN Special Envoy for Malaria Raymond Chambers, Peter Chernin, Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Ashley Judd, Anna Kournikova, Mandy Moore, Youssou NDour, Rick Reilly, Diana Taylor and Ted Turner. Founding partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Comic Relief, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Malaria No More, ONE, PATH, Population Services International (PSI), Roll Back Malaria, United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria.

"The United Against Malaria campaign is a great way for people to get involved in the fight against malaria," said Molly Sims, supermodel, actress and United Against Malaria champion. "Malaria is a devastating disease, killing a child every 30 seconds. A $10 bed net can be the difference between life and death."

To follow Charles Ssali's journey and learn more about how you can join the winning team in the fight against malaria, please visit www.UnitedAgainstMalaria.org. By acting now, we can achieve unprecedented increases in mosquito net coverage across Africa to save millions of lives by the next World Cup in 2014.

About United Against Malaria

United Against Malaria is a partnership of soccer teams and heroes, celebrities, health and advocacy organizations, governments, corporations and people like you who have united ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa(TM) to win the fight against malaria. Our goal is to galvanize partners throughout the world to reach the United Nations target of universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa by the end of 2010, a crucial first step to reaching the international target of reducing deaths to near zero by 2015. www.UnitedAgainstMalaria.org

i. Global Malaria Action Plan (2008)

ii. Global Malaria Action Plan (2008)

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