Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Once the first symptoms appear, malaria can kill very rapidly—and often does. More than a million people die of malaria each year, most of them children under five. In Africa, malaria is the leading cause of death among young children, killing a child every 30 seconds.

In order to gain a better understanding of the Roll Back Malaria partnership, the Geneva Y's Men's Club in Switzerland invited representatives from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to their monthly lunch meeting.

International Projects Coordinator James Olle has visited Kenya with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to learn more about the innovative and highly successful Home Management of Malaria project.

In September 2009 and December 2010, funds raised by Y's Men International suported the mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) in Sierra Leone.

World Malaria Day is commemorated every year on April 25 and is an opportunity for the global development and health communities to intensify their efforts in providing access to affordable, safe and effective anti-malarial combination treatments worldwide, as well as protective insecticide treated nets and other preventive measures.