The Malaria Consortium works to prevent, treat and eliminate malaria and other infectious diseases. We specifically support their seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) programme, which distributes antimalarial medicines to children under 5.

Malaria is a life-threatening infectious disease carried by mosquitoes. Despite being both preventable and treatable, hundreds of thousands of people die of malaria every year, with children under the age of 5 being especially vulnerable.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is a proven technique, with strong evidence that it substantially reduces cases of malaria. Due to its effectiveness, the WHO recommends SMC be administered to all preschool aged children living in areas of high seasonal malaria transmission. The Malaria Consortium has been one of the leading providers of SMC programmes since initial trials of the technique began.

Malaria Consortium’s SMC programme is also extremely cost effective. Just $7 USD provides a child with a full course of treatment, and every $5,000 USD saves a life in expectation. Based on this, and other evidence, independent charity evaluator GiveWell recommends the Malaria Consortium’s SMC programme as one of the most cost effective ways of saving lives.

For more information about the Malaria Consortium, visit their website, or see GiveWell’s report about their work.