A program involving leaders of 10 faith groups working together to eliminate malaria in eastern Africa kicked off June 27 with United States first lady Laura Bush commending participants in Maputo, Mozambique.

A nearly $2 million grant funded through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative will reach more than 1.5 million people in Mozambique, a country in which malaria causes more deaths than AIDS. Nearly 20 percent of children five years old and younger in the country’s Zambezia province have malaria, according to health officials.

“Faith communities exist in every village in the country; therefore, faith leaders can reach their members and impact their attitudes and behavior related to malaria,” Bush said to a group of about 250 participants of the Inter-Religious Campaign against Malaria in Mozambique (IRCMM) meeting at Maputo Seminary.

The initiative, Together Against Malaria (TAM), is partnering with faith groups at Washington D.C.‘s National Cathedral Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation to combat the epidemic.

The initiative—including education and disbursing supplies such as mosquito nets—will be managed by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Mozambique and implemented by the IRCMM, with technical support provided through the Washington National Cathedral.

Almost 6 million cases of malaria are reported each year in Mozambique, and the disease is a major cause of death in the country. Malaria also contributes to the country’s high level of poverty by reducing productivity, especially in rural areas.

“Defeating this epidemic is an urgent calling—especially because malaria is treatable and preventable,” Bush said.

“In 2006, these leaders requested the participation of the Washington National Cathedral and the Adventist Development [and] Relief Agency in moving forward with their dream of a Mozambique without malaria,” she said.

“We are very honored by Laura Bush’s visit and for her support of the Together Against Malaria project,” said Darcy de Leon, ADRA director for Mozambique.

“TAM represents an integral partnership between ADRA, the Inter-Religious Campaign, the Washington National Cathedral’s Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, the Mozambique Ministry of Health, and the United States government,” de Leon said.

The Mozambique anti-malaria project is a direct implementation of a 2005 Call to Partnership signed by representatives of Christian churches meeting at the Washington National Cathedral to address global poverty, according to Rajmund Dabrowski, a member of the IRCMM Working Group, and communication director for the Adventist world church.

“The churches have well-defined and active networks of local congregations, institutions, as well as trusted relationships with millions of people,” Dabrowski said. “The malaria scourge touches everyone in countless communities. Churches are well-placed and are rich in resources for developing a course of action, including training and distribution of aid,” he said.

“Joint efforts of faith communities, and assistance from the world community, such as the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, offers hope to defeat malaria in Mozambique,” Dabrowski said.

Nearly the entire population of Mozambique is susceptible to the disease, including an estimated 3.6 million children, and 900,000 pregnant women.

The anti-malaria project will train more than 250 leaders of partnering faiths including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Islamic Congress of Mozambique, the Islamic Council of Mozambique, the Anglican Church, the United Methodist Church, the Hindu Community, Assemblies of God, the Christian Council of Mozambique and the Baha’i Community.