Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

Are you passionate about making a difference in your community and fighting one of Africa's most pressing public health problems, malaria? Do you have innovative ideas and new thoughts on how to fight this disease? Then this competition is for you!

To raise awareness and promote a better understanding of malaria innovations, the Ifakara Health Institute has teamed up with the Youth Advisory Board of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) to present the Malaria Innovation Essay Competition. The aim of the competition is to inspire young people to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ideas to defeat malaria, one of Africa's most pressing public health problems. By providing a platform for young people to present their innovative ideas, the competition seeks to inspire new ideas and catalyse the development of practical and effective solutions to combat malaria.

Objectives

• The competition aims to foster innovation and creativity among young African champions who are passionate about controlling and eliminating malaria, to raise awareness of new tools and technologies to tackle the specific challenges of malaria, and to encourage the participation of young people in the fight against the disease.
• By providing a platform for young people to present their ideas and solutions, the competition hopes to inspire a new generation of leaders committed to the eradication of malaria in Africa, and ultimately progress towards a malaria-free continent.

Price details

• The first three winners will receive cash prizes of 2,500 $, 1,500 $ and 1,000 $ respectively.
• All finalists will receive certificates of participation and their essays will be published.

Competition format

The competition will be structured in two stages:

• Stage 1: Call for essays
  • Participants are invited to submit an essay of no more than 2,000 words in one of the following 5 thematic areas/fields:
    • New technologies and approaches : This track could focus on innovative approaches or technologies to prevent, diagnose or treat malaria. Submissions could include ideas for new drugs, technologies, vaccines, insecticides or other interventions that could help reduce the impact of malaria in Africa.
    • Community solutions : This track could focus on community-led initiatives or programmes that aim to prevent or treat malaria. Submissions could include ideas for awareness and education programmes, community treatment or prevention programmes or other community initiatives.
    • Social innovation : This track could focus on innovative approaches to mobilising resources or raising awareness of malaria. Submissions could include ideas for social networking campaigns, participatory funding initiatives or other creative approaches to engaging the public and taking action against malaria.
    • Interdisciplinary solutions : This track could focus on innovative approaches that bring together experts from different fields to fight malaria. Submissions could include ideas for interdisciplinary research collaborations, partnerships between health professionals and community organisations or other interdisciplinary initiatives.
    • Youth-led solutions : This track could focus specifically on youth-led solutions in Africa. Submissions could include ideas for youth-led advocacy campaigns, innovative approaches to involving young people in malaria prevention and treatment efforts, or other initiatives that empower young people to take action against malaria.
• Stage 2: Presentation of the trials of the top 5 groups of champions
  • The top five participants will be invited to present their trials in a virtual competition via a pitch format. The pitch should be no longer than 5 minutes and should focus on explaining the trial and its potential impact, how it addresses innovations in malaria and how young champions can be good agents for promoting innovations in the fight against malaria.
  • Language : Submissions are accepted in English, French or Portuguese.

Eligibility criteria

• The competition is open to all young African champions aged between 18 and 35 who are passionate about controlling and eliminating malaria. Participants may be required to show proof of age and citizenship in an African country.
• Although belonging to a national youth army against malaria is an added advantage, it is important to note that the challenge is open to all young people, regardless of their background. Therefore, young people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to take part, and no academic or health-related profession is required to enter the competition.

For more information, please visit ALMA .