A donation of R1 million has been given to Goodbye Malaria in an effort to combat the deadly disease in Southern Africa.
Cape Town, South Africa (01 March 2024) – Relate Bracelets, a dedicated non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, is happy to announce a significant milestone with a donation of R1,000,000 to Goodbye Malaria, marking another step forward in the relentless fight against this deadly disease. Since its inception, Relate Bracelets has proudly raised just under R14 million for this cause, showcasing the collective power of the community and commitment to making a tangible difference in fighting this disease.
Relate Bracelets is a proudly 100% not-for-profit social enterprise which makes and sells handmade beaded products to raise money for charities globally, while creating jobs for people in low income communities. The non-profit is a social enterprise, which works towards providing solutions to some of the biggest problems in South Africa. It’s a business and does not rely on donations, but raises money for charitable causes.
Goodbye Malaria is an initiative to eliminate malaria, a preventable disease that kills a child every two minutes in Africa.
CEO of Relate Bracelets, Dalit Shekel says, “Malaria accounts for one in twelve global deaths in children under the age of five. Eighty percent of annual malaria deaths are among African children under five. The scourge continues to be a significant health concern for Africa, with the region accounting for 95% of global malaria cases and 96% of all malaria deaths.”
The partnership with Goodbye Malaria aids in accelerating interventions and innovations to malaria elimination in Southern East Africa. During the 2022/23 campaign, integrated vector management was conducted in a total of 22 districts in 3 provinces in Southern Mozambique, with an additional 8 mobile surveillance units positioned at key eastern border regions of South Africa. The results include over 4.2 million lives protected from malaria in the MOSASWA (Mozambique, South Africa and eSwatini) region.
Shekel says, “It is an honour and joy to collaborate with Goodbye Malaria, uniting our efforts to safeguard vulnerable communities, particularly women and young children, from this deadly disease. While we are celebrating this milestone, we’re also filled with anticipation for the greater impact we aim to achieve in the coming year. Our partnership embodies our shared commitment to turning the tide against malaria, and I’m profoundly inspired by the difference we’re making together”
Goodbye Malaria is the brainchild of passionate and concerned African entrepreneurs who’d seen the devastation of the disease on the continent. The social benefit organisation collaborates with world-class partners to end Malaria, including the Global Fund, private organisations, and the governments of Mozambique, South Africa and eSwatini.
Goodbye Malaria’s Marketing Manager, Kiri Rundle says, ‘Malaria holds back economies, communities, and families, with women and girls bearing the brunt of this impact. When we fight to eliminate malaria, we improve economic growth, advance gender equality, and bend the curve of poverty’.
‘The only way to combat this disease is together, this innovative partnership allows us to make an impactful difference on the ground and in malaria endemic communities, while driving societal transformation and empowering the crafters behind each bracelet’, Rundle adds.
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