Exasol joined the project of Ending Malaria in Zambia by 2021
Ending Malaria in Zambia by 2021 is the goal the country has set for itself as part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. PATH, a leader in global health innovation, and the Tableau Foundation established #VisualizeNoMalaria, a project designed to help the Zambian Ministry of Health achieve its target by using data and analysis to drive elimination efforts.
Visualize No Malaria is a unique project combining Public Health organizations and private sector technology partners, and Exasol joined the project in 2017 to contribute database technology and expertise to help make a difference to the lives of people in Zambia.
Most recently, we participated in a meeting of the #VisualizeNoMalaria partners and met with representatives from each organization in San Francisco to discuss the next steps for the partnership and the extent to which each partner can scale their contributions for #VisualizeNoMalaria and projects like it in the future.
The meeting was a great opportunity to bring everyone together and was the first time for all partners to be in the same room as most organizations and their representatives are dispersed across locations in Africa, Europe and the United States. With all the technology we have at our disposal to call people, send them messages and have video chats at anytime, anywhere, there is still something so fundamentally enjoyable about direct, face-to-face interactions. Being able to discuss important topics with the relevant people in the room, sharing stories and connecting at the end of the day in a more casual setting helped to not just move the project engagement forward but also helped many of us grow the relationships that previously only existed via email into stronger connections that will result in better outcomes for the #VisualizeNoMalaria campaign as a whole.
During the meeting the ongoing commitment to the #VisualizeNoMalaria project was discussed and later confirmed by all partners in the lead-up to a key event in the UK this week: CHOGM, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2018 is happening in London on 18 April and will see the heads of government from all Commonwealth nations come together under the theme of “Towards a Common Future.”
At CHOGM 2018, The Gates Foundation will seek approval for malaria reduction support and will present #VisualizeNoMalaria and its successes so far in reducing malaria in Zambia.
In the lead-up to this event, Exasol and the other VNM partners have confirmed their commitment to the partnership, and we are delighted to see the project presented to such a select audience of high-ranking Commonwealth officials as well as representatives of the Royal Family, delegates from Public Health and other non-profit organizations, and the media.
We strongly believe in the approach of the Visualize No Malaria project to use data as the foundation for decision-making in order to deploy resources when and where they’re needed most. Seeing Visualize No Malaria achieve this level of exposure will be a significant achievement to share successes, lessons learned and to gain the necessary support needed to achieve the 2021 elimination target.
We are proud to be part of this partnership and look forward to our continuous involvement in improving the lives of people in sub-Saharan Africa with our tools, expertise and our passion for doing the right things.
For more details on the project read the great blog post from Jeff Bernson, Director of Results Management, Measurement & Learning at PATH.