My Internship Experience at Target Malaria 

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern at Target Malaria, in partnership with the 10,000 Intern foundation. Target Malaria is a not-for-profit consortium aiming to contribute to a world free of malaria. During my time as a communications intern, I was able to immerse myself in various projects, through which I developed a wealth of skills that significantly enriched both my professional and personal development.  

One of the main highlights of my internship was working on the World Mosquito Day campaign. We conducted a two-week educational campaign in the run up to World Mosquito Day, which took place on the 20^th of August 2024, posting daily content that highlighted the differences between dengue and malaria, as well as the Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes which transmit those diseases.  

To view our posts on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook, search the hashtag #MosquitoCountdown and #WorldMosquitoDay. To honour the day, we also celebrated the release of Prof. Abdoulaye Diabaté’s TED 2024 talk, “How to end malaria once and for all”. As one of our leading scientists, he brought the burden of malaria in Africa and innovative ideas like gene drive to a global stage, to emphasise the action needed to eliminate this disease. I was proud to contribute to creating the promotional materials and supporting the team in implementing effective communication strategies for this campaign.  

As a Policy, Politics and Economics student, social impact and its potential to drive meaningful change has always been an area of interest. To have worked with an organisation dedicated to public health and lifting the burden of malaria, especially in the African region has been extremely rewarding. This experience has deepened my understanding of malaria and the impact of this vector-borne disease. 

I want to express my gratitude to the Global Communication team for the opportunity to join them. I am grateful to have worked closely with experts in the field of communications. I also want to thank the 10,000 Interns Foundation for always supporting underrepresented students and providing us with opportunities for professional development. As I continue into my final year of studies, I am eager to apply the skills and insights gained at Target Malaria to my academic and future professional endeavours.