Despite being treatable, malaria still claims over 600,000 lives annually, 95% of which in Africa. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to stop this mosquito-borne illness from turning deadly. But in Rwanda, many lack timely access to basic healthcare. 82% of the population lives in rural areas, while the few hospitals are in urban centers, and transport infrastructure is underdeveloped and unaffordable to most.

This created a grim dilemma for those experiencing early malaria symptoms like fever and headache; hope it’s a minor illness that will pass or embark on a grueling multi-hour walk to get tested and treated. Both give the disease the chance to reach a point of no return, sometimes in just 24 hours.

SC Johnson, makers of pest control brand Raid, have been working to eliminate malaria for decades. They decided to take another important step in this fight.

Closer to Care is helping take down malaria, by building up Africa’s healthcare system. It’s an ongoing program in partnership with local organizations and governments, to establish a network of autonomous health posts that prevent, diagnose, and treat malaria in the most remote, malaria-affected areas.

Through analysis of population, disease and geographical data, combined with insight from community leadership, the strategic location of each health post is determined to bring down walking times to malaria treatment for those who need it most.

The extremely remote locations with unreliable or non-existent utility services required the design of self-sustaining treatment centers, equipped with solar power, rainwater collection, and satellite internet. The health posts are not only bringing life-saving malaria protection to hundreds of villages, but also life-changing economic empowerment. Medical and business training programs prepare local community members to run the facilities as self-supporting enterprises, each one employing 8-13 staff.

Throughout the years, SC Johnson, makers of Raid, have made great strides in the fight against malaria, through longstanding research and education efforts, combined with widespread donations of mosquito control solutions, like repellent coils, lotions and sprays.

And while these prevention measures are effective, they cannot guarantee 24/7 protection against malaria, in part because mosquitoes are developing resistance faster than technology can develop new and effective formulas.

Especially in areas like East-Africa, where climate and landscape allow malaria-carrying mosquito species to thrive, while most of the population works outdoors and lacks closed-off housing, leaving them extra exposed. All it takes is one bite.

To truly protect those most vulnerable to malaria, we had to expand the fight beyond prevention, and decided to put our resources, relationships, and expertise at work to bring timely malaria care to millions at risk. Because no one should live in fear of mosquitoes.

The ambition was clear. But you don’t simply enter the healthcare conversation as a manufacturer of insecticides.

We started in Rwanda, where 90% of the population are at risk for malaria. Here, we established a fundamental partnership with the Society for Family Health Rwanda, a pan-African NGO focused on improving the health of the most vulnerable, and the Rwandan Ministry of Health.

A blueprint was designed for a cost-efficient facility that could diagnose and treat malaria, able to operate self-sufficiently, even in the most remote, off-the-grid locations. This was done together with engineers and architects from the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Rwanda Housing Authority, as well as clinical officials from the Ministry of Health and Abbott Diagnostics.

During the pilot phase, 10 health posts were built. Then, another 40. Today, we have 75 in Rwanda and 1 in South Sudan. And 20 more are planned across Kenya and Tanzania.

Each health post provides life-saving malaria services to around 7000 people, and is equipped with a centralized real-time data management system that creates digitized health records for all patients.

As of January 2024, 1,166,553 patients have received care at the 76 locations.

In areas with a health post, the average walk time to treatment has decreased from 3 hours to just 30 minutes.

This, together with prevention measures and other initiatives, including Certified Care, has contributed to an 84% drop of severe malaria cases and an 89% drop of malaria mortality across Rwanda, compared to 2018.

The program is building health equity in rural communities, but also accelerating economic progress, through the creation of 7,382 construction and operational jobs and 409 full-time healthcare jobs.

Through a global communication campaign, Raid and SC Johnson are raising further awareness about the project, hoping to attract other companies to join the efforts.