Episcopal Relief & Development’s NetsforLife® Program

Presenter: Abagail Nelson Senior Vice President, Programs

Mission and Scale

NetsforLife®, a health program of Episcopal Relief & Development, empowers African communities to fight malaria and other disease burden in Africa

NetsforLife® started in 2006 as a pilot in Zambia and expanded to 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa

Since inception, faith-based community has been an integral component of the program implementation

Mobilizing Faith Communities for HealthMobilizing Faith Communities for Health

Knowledge

Approval Intention

Practice

Community Dialogue & Action

Community Results Tracking

Community Celebration & Planning

Faith Leaders & Traditional Leaders

Cost

Impact

112,235 children under 5

alive today due to the program

21.9 million LLINs

distributed to/or

in homes in 17

African countries

Influenced 5 countries national malaria

prevention approach based on

NetsforLife® evidence

41 million individual

s sensitized in malaria preventio

n

Impact: SBCC & Health Care Utilization

Angola Program as an Example

Prevention Use of Health Services

Social NormKnowledge

Impact: Increase in LLIN Use

Policy Change and Influence

Empowering communities for ownership

& action

Engaging key stakeholders at national level

e.g. NMCP, private sector

Using evidence-based results to

influence national policy. Successful in five countries- Angola, GhanaLiberia, Sierra

Leone andZambia

Leading change and sharing comparable impact

Robust Monitoring

& Evaluation

Strong Advocacy/

Partnership

Unique Value Proposition • Existing extensive network

– The power of the pulpit

• Assets-based Management– Institutional Longevity-Anglican Communion

– Community Health Volunteers

– Engagement of women’s groups, schools, health facilities

• Sustaining the Gains– Community ownership

– Continued engagement of volunteers

(e.g. through Savings & Loans)

Recommendations

Engage faith communities’ powerful, top-down, bottom-up advocacy platform already in place

Invest in faith engagement, which is highly cost-effective but NOT free

Build sustainability through community mobilization and ownership via SBCC

Thank You!