Tournament >Results 2008
2008 Derby Pro-Celeb Charity Poker Tourney – Some of the Winners
Proceeds from the 2008 Derby Pro-Celeb Charity Poker Tourney were used by the Health and Climate Foundation to support joint projects with the Anti Malaria Association (AMA) of Ethiopia. The AMA was established in 1998 to tackle the problem of malaria and its high morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. It aims to prevent the spread and mitigate the impacts of malaria, HIV/AIDS, meningitis and other major communicable diseases and provide reproductive health services by mobilizing the community and working in partnership with stakeholders. Its goal is to reduce the burden of malaria, HIV/AIDS and other major communicable diseases, and poor reproductive health services on poor households of its target areas.
Figure 1: Understanding the rural landscape, its fragility and sensitivity to climate change
It is estimated that two-thirds of Ethiopia’s population of 77 million are at risk of epidemic malaria. Funding from Poker Tourney has helped to support a partnership that has brought together the expertise of many different people to address climate-sensitive diseases, especially malaria, meningitis and acute water diarrhea in Ethiopia.
Figure 2: Strengthening infrastructure by building foot bridges across rivers
Funding has also helped to start a new initiative to combat meningitis in Ethiopia. Meningococcal meningitis is one of the most feared epidemic diseases in Africa because of its rapid onset, high fatality rates and long-term disabilities, such as brain-damage and deafness, affecting many survivors. Working with the AMA and other partners, we have started an Ethiopian initiative to understand the social and economic impact of the disease on the community and to help develop the tools needed to provide more timely and effective warning of epidemics of the disease.
Figure 3: Securing Freshwater
The AMA is a key partner in all of these efforts because of its ability to increase the coping capacity of rural people by working directly with families and communities. The following pictures highlight some of the activities of the AMA.
Figure 4: Improving community sanitation
Figure 5: Organizing Ethiopian experts in health and climate
Figure 6: Educating communities to cope with health risks in a changing climate
We plan to build on these efforts as resources permit to improve the wellbeing of communities most at risk from climate-sensitive diseases.
