Advocacy | 10 Winning Moves

On the pitch, good communication enhances teamwork, producing coordinated efforts that lead to success. The fourth pillar, advocacy, invites partners to expand their personal commitment to fighting malaria by inspiring leadership to score the same goals at the global, national, and district levels. This means using the power of communication and partnerships to raise awareness and funds for malaria control, without which sustainable control is impossible.

In the UAM campaign, champions are born. Those who join the campaign find out how exciting it is to improve their communities by improving lives and spreading messages of health and wellness. They direct these messages––with supportive facts and compelling testimonials––to leaders who can help them access even greater resources. The UAM campaign has seen many partners reach out, take risks, and join forces.

With so much at stake, UAM partners have addressed audiences at the World Economic Forum, the United Nations MDG Summit, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and elsewhere. They speak from the heart about how they came to understand the importance of the campaign and why they have taken action. Following are just three examples of their messaging:

“The UAM campaign comes at a time in Cote d’Ivoire when the private sector needs to take responsibility for making the country strong again. I am happy to be a partner and to contribute to the malaria control targets in my country.”
––Rene Yedieti, CEO of the Librairie de France Group, Côte d’Ivoire

“Football needs a healthy society to thrive. It requires healthy players, administrators, coaches, referees and, most importantly healthy fans. Without them you cannot develop the game. A malaria-infected society is not a healthy one, and so it is only logical that we support the UAM campaign if we want to see sustainable development in our country.”
––Leodegar Tenga, Chair of CECAFA, CAF Board Member, FIFA Marketing
Committee Member, and President of the Tanzania Football Federation

“Said Salim Bakhresa and Co. joined United Against Malaria because the best way to fight malaria is to join forces with people working toward the same goals. Our involvement has had a big impact on our own employees and on the health of Tanzanians outside our company, which makes us very proud.”
––Said Mohammad Said Abeid, General Manager, Said Salim Bakhresa & Co., Tanzania

10 Winning Moves

1. Advocacy is about using what you know to convince others to join your cause. Begin by making sure that your strategies under the other three pillars are cohesive and collectively effective so that your own malaria program can serve as an example to others.
   
2. Identify malaria control champions within your organization. Enlist a credible spokesperson, such as a respected sports or entertainment celebrity, to give weight to your organization’s commitment.
   
3. Tailor your message to your target audience and make sure you can deliver an elevator speech––a convincing statement that you can deliver in a few minutes, the time it takes to ride up or down the elevator.
   
4. Advocate for management to allocate resources as part of their benefits or health insurance plans and to institute in-house policies to encourage employees, players or students to adhere to malaria detection, prevention and treatment methods.
   
5. Form partnerships. There is strength in numbers.
   
6. Encourage national, district and local governments (e.g., parliaments or ministries of health, sports, education, economy, agriculture, etc.) to set up a fund for malaria control activities.
   
7. Participate in malaria advocacy meetings at the local level. These usually comprise district or regional officials, NGOs, and businesses.
   
8. Build bridges with local health organizations. They have many resources available to help you initiate change within your organization.
   
9. Collect signatures to help people show their support for the fight against malaria. You can use footballs, a traveling scroll, or a website, for example.
   
10. Purchase and help others purchase the UAM bracelet. These sales raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Speak out. You may inspire others to action.