Acumen Fund

1
Acumen Fund

• A to Z Textile Mills
• Mosquito Bed Nets

2
Malaria

• infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes
• widespread in tropical / subtropical regions
  (many LEDCs)
• causes fever and headache, but can cause coma and
  death
• in 2010, 216 million cases of malaria documented,
  probably 1 million deaths, mostly children

3
Malaria causes poverty

• health care costs
• working days lost due to sickness
• days lost in education
• decreased productivity due to brain damage
• loss of investment and tourism in areas with
  malaria

4
Malaria is caused by poverty

• poor people dont have the ability to treat the
  disease.
• poor people dont have the ability to prevent the
  disease

5
Treatment

• The most effective strategy for mild-moderate
  infection is the use of artemisinins, drugs
  derived from the plant artemesia annus
• up to 40 of public health spending in many
  countries spent for malaria treatment

6
Prevention is Vital!

• Mosquito nets treated with insecticide can
  provide effective protection
• Less than 13 of African households own one!

7
A to Z Textile Mills

• Tanzania-based
• 29 million low-cost (5), long-lasting (5 years)
  anti-malaria bednets
• provides jobs for 7,000 people, primarily women

8
Acumen Fund
provided initial funding for these innovative
bednets with low-cost loan (now repaid) a
solution that promotes economic growth,
jobs AND improves development at the same time
9
Sources

• African households to reach continent-wide
  malaria coverage targets". Journal of the
  American Medical Association 297 (20) 224150.
• A to Z Textile Mills Long-lasting Anti-Malaria
  Bednets. Acumen Fund. (http//www.acumenfund.org/
  investment/a-to-z-textile-mills.html)
• "Don't go to Bed with Malaria Mosquito."
  (1943-1945) Office for Emergency Management.
  Office of War Information. Domestic Operations
  Branch. Bureau of Special Services.
  (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria)
• Jorge Ferreira (2005). Artemisia annua crop in
  Beaver West Virginia (Photograph, Online).
  (http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria)
• Greenwood BM, Bojang K, Whitty CJ, Targett GA
  (2005). "Malaria". Lancet 365 (9469) 1487-98.
• Lengeler C (2004). "Insecticide-treated bed nets
  and curtains for preventing malaria". Cochrane
  Database of Systematic Reviews (Online) (2)
  CD000363.
• Nayyar GML, Breman JG, Newton PN, Herrington J
  (2012). "Poor-quality antimalarial drugs in
  southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa". Lancet
  Infectious Diseases 12 (6) 48896.
• Roll Back Malaria WHO partnership. "Economic
  costs of malaria" (PDF). WHO.