Women in Rwanda live with an undue burden of malaria. They face higher risks of infection than any other group, and they have a responsibility to care for children and adults within their communities when they fall ill with this deadly disease.

But it doesn't end there. While serving as de-facto caregivers for those who are sick, women can also experience harsh and continuing socioeconomic consequences. For millions of women in Rwanda, this caregiving role becomes an unofficial and unpaid job, removing them from school, work, and inevitably – the economy.

For the last 20 years, SC Johnson and Raid have been working to eradicate malaria in Rwanda. To truly provide ‘Protection For Everyone’, we know the women of Rwanda need protection from more than the mosquito bites that cause malaria. They need support and a framework to protect them from the profound socio-economic effects of malaria.

Raid created a way to turn a woman’s role as caregiver into a paying job, by training and certifying them as official Community Healthcare Workers.

In partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Health and Society for Family Health-Rwanda, Raid launched Certified Care, a program that empowers women with official certification and supports their ability to obtain paying jobs doing something they’ve spent a lifetime doing for free. Caring for those suffering from malaria.

Certified Care is an ongoing program designed to supplement the knowledge and skills women already have with practical medical training and official accreditation to become Community Healthcare Workers. Thereby cementing them as the front-line defense in detecting and treating malaria at a community level. This accreditation and education unlocks official job opportunities for them from organizations like SC Johnson that rely on local healthcare workers to complete initiatives aimed at eradicating malaria.

In the worldwide fight against malaria, communication most often focuses on how this potentially deadly, yet preventable disease claims the life of a child, under the age of five, every minute.

In addition to this devastating tragedy, another community in Rwanda is disproportionately affected by malaria and drastically under-recognized, under-resourced, and under-valued: women.

Our strategy was to illuminate the negative socio-economic ripple effect that goes beyond the illness, provide recognition, and empower economic stability and mobility for female caregivers, and in doing so, bolster critical resources in the fight against malaria. We believe that women deserve to be recognized and their value to the community rewarded.

Partnering with the Society for Family Health Rwanda, SC Johnson created a vocational program that builds upon the experience Rwandan women have gained throughout their lifetime of caring for their own families and communities.

Within the program, experienced Community Healthcare Workers teach these women how to build on their experience to provide basic preventative care, perform blood testing for patient diagnosis, prescribe medication for treatment, and even combat misinformation that puts communities more at risk from this deadly disease.

By creating official certifications and providing government recognition, Certified Care empowers women to deploy their skills to the larger community while building a financially secure future for themselves and their own families.

Thousands of women have completed the program and are now certified, with more joining every day in the mission to provide ‘Protection for Everyone’.

Since launching, the Certified Care Program has officially certified over 10,000 Rwandan women.

Together, they have treated over 1 million Rwandans suffering from malaria – with this number growing every day.

In fact, today, 55% of all malaria cases in Rwanda are treated by certified healthcare workers and others like them. This is more than those treated by doctors or nurses in hospitals.

These women, who have missed work to care for their communities for free can now earn an income for their work – helping build careers and break poverty cycles.

Finally, SC Johnson is committed to expanding the number of women being certified to treat malaria sufferers so that eventually, everyone in Rwanda can truly be protected.