Preface
This is the first policy plan of the Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation. The Foundation was established in December 2018 with the aim of contributing directly or indirectly to the fight against malaria. The Foundation will aim to achieve this by carrying out and supporting activities aimed at providing insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets with imprints to African school children.
This policy plan has been written for the period 2019-2021 and concerns the first three years of setting up and developing the Foundation.
The Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation was founded by the Rotary Club Midden Betuwe-Valburg. This local Rotary Club belongs to Rotary International, the international organization formed by the local Rotary Clubs. The Rotary organization defines its purpose as bringing together professionals and business leaders who provide humanitarian services, promoting high ethical standards in all professions, and helping build goodwill and peace in the world. Rotary’s motto is “Service above Self”, which means: subordinate your self-interest to that of society.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease. In 2017, 219 million people worldwide were infected with the mosquito-borne malaria parasite, resulting in 435,000 deaths. Yet, since the turn of the new millennium, great strides have been made in the fight against malaria through the use of three strategies:
- Indoor application of insecticides on walls;
- providing effective medicines, and;
- providing insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets (mosquito nets).
The latter approach, the widespread provision of mosquito nets to the population, has made the greatest contribution to saving lives. Of the 700 million cases that were prevented and the more than 6 million lives saved between 2000 and 2015, 68% were contributed by the mosquito net.
A study of 2500 mosquito nets in Uganda, carried out by the Malaria Consortium, showed that printed mosquito nets strongly promote the correct use of mosquito nets by increasing affinity with the product. The Twiga Ventures company prints mosquito nets with affinity-enhancing images.
The Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation supports this product development and would like to contribute to improving the fight against malaria, starting in Uganda.
Vision
The Foundation is committed to a world without malaria.
Mission
In view of the success of the use of mosquito nets in the fight against malaria and given the additional impact that can be generated when mosquito nets are printed with attractive images, the focus in the short to medium term is on providing as many printed mosquito nets as possible to important risk groups.
Target
Pursuant to Article 2 of its statutes, the Foundation aims to contribute directly or indirectly to the fight against malaria.
It tries to achieve this goal by, among other things:
- promoting the use of mosquito nets in areas where malaria occurs;
- financial support for organizations that distribute mosquito nets;
- recruiting sponsors who support the cause of the foundation;
- providing information to potential sponsors;
to perform all further actions that are related to the above in the broadest sense or that may be conducive to it
Strategy
Rotary International has more than one (1) million members worldwide. The intention is to raise a donation for at least one printed mosquito net per Rotarian. These funds will go to the English foundation ‘Malaria Consortium’, whose headquarters are located in Kampala (Uganda), which will purchase mosquito nets and make them available for printing by Twiga Ventures (also based in Kampala). Printed mosquito nets will be handed over to the Ministry of Health (Uganda), which will in turn distribute the mosquito nets to schools in 17 districts in northern Uganda. By means of periodic reports by Twiga Ventures, the Foundation maintains control over the actual issue and distribution of the mosquito nets in Uganda.
The parties currently involved in supporting and achieving the goals of the Foundation are:
- The Ministry of Health and the National Malaria Control Program (Uganda) established within it;
- The Malaria Consortium (UK and Uganda)
- The Rotary Clubs Muyenga and Kitawale (Uganda) and Midden Betuwe-Valburg (The Netherlands)
- Twiga Ventures (Uganda)
- The Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation (The Netherlands)
The parties have laid down their cooperation in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Contracts have also been drawn up between the Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation on the one hand and a) Malaria Consortium, and b) Twiga Ventures on the other. The MoU describes the principle agreements between the parties, the contracts more specifically the supply chain and workflow with regard to fundraising, purchasing, printing and distribution of printed mosquito nets.
Marketing
The Foundation will set up fundraising in collaboration with Ugandan Rotary Clubs Muyenga and Kitawale. Through club visits and lectures on malaria and the goals of the Foundation, this fund raises funds to distribute printed mosquito nets in large numbers. Individual Rotarians and / or Rotary Clubs will also be able to donate through the website set up specifically for the Foundation and its causes. The Foundation will also make its goals known through Rotary International’s communication channels.
Board
The board of the Foundation consists of the following three persons, who are also members of Rotary Club Midden Betuwe-Valburg:
Chair: Mrs. Drs. IT Grimm-Ruiterkamp;
Secretary: Mr. Dr. Ir. IMA Heitkönig;
Treasurer: Mr. WB ten Böhmer RB.
The board of the Foundation, in particular the chairman, is charged with leading the board and representing the Foundation to the outside world. The secretary is charged by the board with reporting within the Foundation. Finally, the treasurer is responsible for the financial management of the incoming and outgoing money.
Based on the provisions of the articles of association, decision-making, including those relating to the conduct of financial transactions to third parties, must be taken by a majority of the directors in office.
Establishment
The Foundation has its office in the municipality of Overbetuwe and has offices at the address of the secretary. The bank account number of the Foundation is NL98 RABO 0337 1997 79 in the name of Stg Rotary MBV Stop Malaria. The Foundation is registered with the Chamber of Commerce under number 73294497.
Finances
Fund management : The Fund’s funds are managed by the Foundation itself. The board will ensure that the funds are spent in accordance with its statutory objective. The Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation stands for transparency and will make the annual accounts accessible to the public (via the website).
Use of funds : The Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation is a charitable institution. The board members do not receive any remuneration for their board work. However, there is a right to reimbursement of costs incurred by the board or third parties, in the interest of the Foundation. The Foundation strives to spend as much funds as possible on the goals themselves, but reserves the privilege to recover costs incurred (e.g. , website maintenance, flyers, etc.) with income from donations.
Report
Annual reports will be drawn up annually and within 6 months after the end of the financial year and placed on the website. The first annual report will be published in the first half of 2020.
Establishment and ANBI status
The articles of association as well as the extract of the Chamber of Commerce registration of the Rotary MBV Stop Malaria Foundation are available. The Foundation has applied for ANBI status.