In the lead-up to TEDxChange, a TED event focused on the progress made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, Melinda Gates blogged about our work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation site.

In her post, Melinda noted: Malaria No More, one of our grantees, is taking a creative approach to raising awareness about malaria. They’ve been a fantastic partner–find out more about them from this GOOD profile of their work. They’re working with the Senegalese singing sensation Youssou N’Dour to educate people through his song “Xeex Sibbiru.” The song–whose title translates “Fight Malaria” in Wolof (a language spoken in several African countries)–encourages listeners to take action against malaria. They’ve also launched an American Idol-style singing contest. The campaign encouraged musicians to write songs to raise awareness about malaria.

A few years ago, Bill and I challenged the health field to set a goal of eventually eradicating malaria. With inspirational examples such as these, it’s clear the world is making great progress against this disease. That’s why we remain optimistic that the goal of eradication will ultimately be met.

We’re grateful for Melinda’s GOOD words and look forward to attending the TEDxChange Webcast on September 20^th. You too can RSVP here.

The following is an excerpt from the MNM Policy Center’s Malaria Watch blog:

Technology Review recently had a conversation with Bill Gates about a myriad of topics, including his passion for global health. 

One of the most fascinating points that Mr. Gates touches on is the fact that there used to be no market and no incentive for investment in malaria.  In response, The Gates Foundation simply created one by investing massive amounts of capital in malaria and the results have been astounding. 

To read the full excerpt on the MNMCP blog, click here.

According to a recent article, Sesame Street is moving back to Nigeria this fall, where it’s called Sesame Square. And Cookie Monster’s been replaced with Kami, who is HIV positive, and Zobi, who teaches malaria prevention.

In Nigeria, the show is renamed “Sesame Square” to more closely resemble the neighborhoods of the country, and the lead Muppet’s, Kami and Zobi, are teaching life lessons that are relevant to the people of Nigeria: AIDS, malaria nets, gender equality — and yams, a staple of Nigerian meals.

Lead muppet Kami is an orphan with HIV who explains blood safety to children, while her friend Zobi gets entangled in a mosquito net while explaining malaria prevention.

In Tanzania, MNM’s Zinduka! campaign has partnered with Kilimani Sesame to distribute malaria-themed books to all primary schools in the country. The colorful, entertaining books will feature popular Kilimani Sesame characters who stress the importance of practicing malaria prevention at home.

Bombo Hospital Medical Director Dr. Fred Mtafikikoro (far right) speaks to Zinduka! Ambassadors about the impact malaria has in Tanga, a region in Tanzania’s northwest coastline

The Fiesta Concert Series continues its trek across Tanzania, bringing along the Zinduka! campaign and its “malaria is unacceptable” message to every tour stop.  

In addition to speaking about malaria protection, testing and treatment during their performances, Zinduka! Goodwill Ambassadors are also visiting communities and local health centers to speak to patients and medical staff about the disease.

Last week, the Fiesta Concert Series held a performance in Tanga, a region in northwest Tanzania, where they visited Bombo Hospital. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Fred Mtafikikoro, explained that many people in the community fail to take the disease seriously and don’t sleep under a mosquito net every night, as it’s recommended in high-endemic regions. As a result, there are a high number of malaria cases and deaths in Tanga. And while the hospital tries to accommodate and treat malaria patients, the high number of cases often leads to a shortage of medical supplies and prevention tools like mosquito nets.

During the visit, the hospital’s children’s ward was experiencing a mosquito net shortage. Thanks to Zinduka! partner A to Z Textile Mills, a mosquito net manufacturer in Tanzania, the Zinduka! Goodwill Ambassadors and Fiesta Concert crew members were able to provide the hospital with donated mosquito nets, which will help protect the hospital’s youngest and most vulnerable patients at night.

Are there any other activities that can help the Zinduka! campaign educate Tanzania about malaria protection? How else can celebrities be involved in the malaria fight?

Tanzanian hip-hop sensation Professor Jay stopped by the Malaria No More office in New York this morning during what is his first visit to the United States. Professor Jay is one of our greatest allies in the Zinduka! Malaria Haikubaliki (Wake Up! Malaria is Unacceptable) program to spread a culture of malaria control across Tanzania.

Professor Jay is a Tanzanian hip hop artist. The type of music he sings is also called Bongo Flava, which often represents the hardships of Tanzanian life, including malaria HIV/AIDS, inequality, and struggling to meet basic needs.

Professor Jay has won several awards, including best hip-hop album in Tanzania.

Learn more about his efforts, and watch the Zinduka! music video here.

Youssou NDour, one of the most celebrated African musicians in history, played for one night only at the Barbican in London this week. Youssou took time out from promoting his new album to talk about how he is using world music to educate people about malaria prevention in Africa and to raise awareness about malaria in the US & UK.

Our friends at Malaria No More UK sent us this clip of Youssou speaking about his work on malaria—and his new music style—with BBC’s Radio 4. Listen to the interview online.

Youssou is a board member of Malaria No More and is also the leader of the Xeex Sibbiru campaign in his home country of Senegal. Learn more about how Xeex Sibbiru is using music to change the way people think about malaria in Senegal and across Africa.

Crowds, including a healthy contingent of local and national Senegalese press, packed Pikine stadium and the rooftops of surrounding buildings to witness the first United Against Malaria / Xeex Sibbiru (‘Fight Against Malaria’ in the local Wolof dialect) Celebrity Cup last week.

The much anticipated match pitted Senegal’s football legends against a team comprised of contemporary Senegalese footballers and famed musicians, including Blackburn Rovers El-Hadji Diouf and grammy-award winning singer Youssou NDour. Both teams wore uniforms featuring the UAM and Xeex Sibbiru crests.

The good-natured competition saw the two teams exchanging lots of goals and friendly trash talk knowing that win or lose, both teams were accomplishing their ultimate goal…raising awareness about malaria. The match, which will be aired on national TV later this week, featured speeches by Youssou NDour and other noted players encouraging the people of Senegal to use mosquito nets and seek treatment for malaria. TV broadcasters joined the chorus of voices speaking out against malaria, taking time out from their match coverage to acknowledge the UAM campaign and it’s significance.

Players and musicians alike also used the occasion to record a public service announcement for United Against Malaria that will air on TV alongside the match and throughout the coming months in Senegal. Learn more about the United Against Malaria campaign here.

For those of you not lucky enough to be in Dakar for the Xeex Sibbiru Song Contest, we wanted to share some details. Take a minute to join in the experience and see how MNM’s innovation is having an impact in Africa:

• Learn more about one of Malaria No More’s signature initiatives, Surround Sound Senegal, on our website round-up, including a video of the winner—Djibril Diop—performing in front of the crowd.
• You can also access amazing behind-the-scenes footage of the finalists rehearsing before the concert and see how East meets West in a jam session with Diamond, our incredibly talented guest from Tanzania’s Zinduka! campaign.
• To meet the contestants, head over to the Dakar Calling blog, where Peace Corps volunteer extraordinaire Adam Horowitz introduces the world to the Xeex Sibbiru Song Contest finalists.
• Press coverage of the event was widespread in Senegal and beyond, including in Newsweek, Agence France Presse, Voice of America and Huffington Post.

Thanks to our partners and supporters of the Surround Sound program at ExxonMobil for making Xeex Sibbiru happen!

Tonight is the finale of the “Xeex Sibbiru” (“Fight Malaria”) Song Contest, led by international superstar Youssou Ndour. Senegal will declare the winner: the face not only of Senegal’s musical future but also of a country on the brink of ending malaria deaths for once and for all.

The Song Contest is an extension of Youssou’s campaign last year, when—on the eve of the National Malaria Control Program’s distribution of mosquito nets to every child under five—he hosted a concert in Dakar and released the hit song, Xeex Sibbiru, encouraging all Senegalese families to take responsibility for the fight against malaria in their homes, communities and country.

See videos from backstage below. Additional videos can be found on the Dakar Calling blog. AFP TV recently featured the song contest—see here for the video clip.