ExxonMobil & American Idol Elliott Yamin Support Malaria Prevention At Angola Orphanage And School

Main Category: Tropical Diseases
Article Date: 05 Oct 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) and American Idol finalist Elliott Yamin have teamed up to support new malaria prevention projects at the Saint Isabel Orphanage and School in Luanda, Angola.

Yamin, a champion in the fight against malaria, delivered a special performance Friday at the 1st Annual Washington Ideas Forum, two days of discussion by major newsmakers and top journalists on the most pressing issues of the day. In support of his performance, ExxonMobil made a grant of $100,000 to the orphanage and school as part of the company's continued commitment in the fight against malaria.

"When I visited Angola as part of Idol Gives Back, I saw how devastating malaria is in Africa and that there are some basic actions we can take to save lives," said Yamin. "Saint Isabel provides hope and new lives for the children of Luanda, and I am very honored to support its efforts."

Dr. Steven Phillips, Medical Projects Director of ExxonMobil, said the company knows first-hand the health and economic impacts of malaria on its workforce, their families and the communities where it operates.

"We know that prevention is the key to saving lives when combating malaria," said Phillips. "We are proud to help Saint Isabel build on its long history of providing care and education to Luanda's marginalized children."

The grant will enable Saint Isabel to improve and expand its facility to better protect more children from malaria by reducing exposure to mosquitoes through increased ventilation and new windows and screens. In addition, Saint Isabel will launch an art-based malaria prevention education program that will teach children how to fight malaria.

"These underprivileged youth are the most susceptible to diseases such as malaria," said Sister Domingas, director of Saint Isabel, which provides room and board to children between the ages of five and 17, and schooling to an additional 800 students. "These improvements will result in healthier, happier children. We consider ExxonMobil to be an important partner in safeguarding the children of Luanda."

ExxonMobil is the largest non-pharmaceutical corporate donor to malaria research and development efforts and since 2000 has committed more than $150 million to African community outreach programs, including $55 million to programs to fight malaria.

As a lead sponsor of American Idol's Idol Gives Back, the company made a $13-million commitment for the distribution of bed nets. Additionally, since the initiation of the President's Malaria Initiative in 2005, ExxonMobil has contributed $3 million to support its activities in Angola.

The company established the ExxonMobil Malaria Initiative in 2000 in support of the Abuja Declaration on Roll Back Malaria in Africa and its goal to halve malaria deaths by 2010. Since then, ExxonMobil has developed on-the-ground public-private partnerships, supported treatment and vaccine research, raised awareness and contributed to anti-malaria efforts in 12 African countries.

Malaria, a life-threatening disease caused by a parasite and transmitted to humans by the bite of a mosquito, kills more than one million annually. The majority of victims are pregnant women and children under the age of five.

Source
Exxon Mobil Corporation