“If I don’t get my Malaria out break every 3-4 month, I think something is wrong“, tells me a friend in Cameroon in a casual conversation. Imagine, right now Cameroon run out of antimalarials. They are simply out of stock. A Pharmacist working for one of the large Mission Hospitals in the country tells me this morning via e-mail they are not sure what happened and why everyone is out of stock.

Malaria still kills more people than HIV/AIDS. The Malaria parasite was wiped out in North America and Europe, but in developing countries it still exist and is deadly if not treated properly. Malaria nets are expensive and few can afford them.

If you google for “Coartem” one of the World Health Organization (WHO) approved combination drugs treating Malaria, you find links to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). They report on the GlaxoSmithKline Africa Malaria Partnership, that promises to disburse millions of malaria treatments on a non-profit base in Sub-Saharen Africa.

I wonder why when I am in Cameroon I have not heard of this program? If you read on if will eventually tell you that this generous program is only for the 50 poorest countries in the world. Cameroon is not one of them.

We more than appreciate the philanthropy the pharmaceutical industry is undertaking. What gives me night mares is that the headlines and glossy brochures make it sound as if these programs cover it all and take care of the problem, when in reality it treats only a fraction of people in need.

In Cameroon a significant portion of people can actually pay for their drugs. Still they can’t get them. Why? Because it is impossible to ship a sufficient amount of the right drugs to the right location.

This is why it is AIDSfreeAFRICA’s goal to enable Africans to produce drugs locally. Right now we work in Cameroon and are raising money to manufacture Malaria drugs because it is what is needed. Once the factory we are helping to built is in full operation it will be financially independent and self sufficient. For right now we are asking you to make a donation through our web site – we have a promise of a $ 5000 matching grant. Thus your money will go twice as far. We are a tax exempt organization registered in the US. Dr. Rolande distributing malaria nets in Bafut/Cameroon