“It’s time to change the story”: Target Malaria scientists featured in the new Change the Story campaign
Resistance to current tools, extreme weather events, humanitarian crises and a global funding crisis — is putting our hard-won gains at risk. Change the Story is a campaign which puts children at the heart of the fight, amplifying their voices to inspire global action.
Malaria No More UK has launched the latest chapter of its Change the Story campaign. Developed in partnership with the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) and Speak Up Africa, the campaign film premiered at the World Health Assembly in support of the eighth replenishment of the Global Fund. Without more funding, 337,000 more people could die from malaria by 2029, 80% of them will be children.
A campaign to amplify the voice of children and women
This third chapter features Grammy award-winning artist Angélique Kidjo as the campaign ambassador, succeeding Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Kidjo addresses national decision-makers, international donors, funders, and the private sector, calling for renewed commitment and investment in the fight to eliminate malaria. A supporting short documentary film titled “Where she leads” was presented at the Africa CEO Forum by Speak Up Africa during an event to engage the private sector in the fight against malaria.
The new campaign film also shines a spotlight on the impact of malaria on women and girls, particularly how the disease limits access to education, work, and leadership opportunities. Ng’endo Mukii, an award-winning Kenyan animation film director collaborated on the film to represent the potential and talent that Africa is losing because of malaria.
“We will not eliminate malaria without funding. We need leaders to commit and honor the commitments their countries have made before.”
Krystal Birungi, Entomologist at Target Malaria
“Malaria is a test of our science”
A long-time partner of Target Malaria, Malaria No More UK invited two of the project’s researchers to participate in the campaign, underscoring the promise that scientific research and innovation can offer in ending the burden of malaria in Africa.
Krystal Birungi, Research Associate for Outreach at Target Malaria Uganda, appears in the behind-the-scenes film, alongside Dr. Léa Paré Toé, Stakeholder Engagement Officer at Target Malaria Burkina Faso. For the first time ever, we have a game-changing toolkit: next-gen mosquito nets, new antimalarial drugs, the world’s first malaria vaccines—and groundbreaking research into genetically modified mosquitoes to stop transmission at its source. But tools alone aren’t enough — we need political will and financial commitment to deploy them at scale.
Léa Paré Toé and Krystal Birungi share their story
Krystal Birungi is an entomologist at Target Malaria, based in the Uganda Virus Research Institute. A tireless advocate for malaria research, she is also a speaker for the Global Fund Advocates Network and is passionate about reducing the malaria disease burden in Uganda and Africa as a whole. She is actively involved in the Global Fund 8th replenishment campaign, speaking about her experience as a malaria survivor and traveling to Europe and North America, and calling for life-saving tools to reach the most vulnerable to malaria.
Read Krystal’s story here
A socio-anthropologist by training, Dr. Léa Paré Toé champions a community-based approach to research through her work with Target Malaria and the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé. Her efforts focus on education, knowledge sharing, and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between scientists and stakeholders.
