Evidence Action is excited to announce the launch of Deworm the World and Equal Vitamin Access in Malawi. Delivered in partnership with the Malawi government’s ministries of health and education, these transformative school health programs will provide millions of children with life-changing treatments, marking a significant step forward in our fight against parasitic worms and anemia.

Proven impact in new terrain

Over the past decade, Deworm the World has provided technical assistance to several governments, delivering over 2 billion deworming treatments to children – which are shown in rigorous research to improve nutrition, education, and long-term productivity. Equal Vitamin Access helps governments scale iron and folic acid supplementation to reduce the risk of anemia, the leading cause of malnutrition and disability in low- and middle-income countries. This program helped the Government of India increase the number of children reached by nearly three-fold – to over 35 million – between 2019 and 2023. 

Together, these two treatments pack a punch in the fight against anemia — a large-scale study in India found that the combination reduced anemia prevalence among girls aged 10-19 from 73% to just 25%.

Innovations in cost-effective delivery

We’re able to deliver each of these treatments for less than $0.50 per child per year on average globally – thanks to our uniquely effective school-based delivery model. Leveraging school infrastructure allows us to reach millions of children with interventions quickly and cost-effectively, at no cost to families. By reaching children where they already are, and having trusted teachers distribute treatments, our approach enables us to overcome uptake and adherence challenges that often prevent highly-effective programs from reaching scale.

In Malawi – where over 50% of children suffer from parasitic worm infections and anemia — there are seven times more primary and secondary schools than health facilities, so our school-based approach will have significant reach. 

We’re further enhancing our cost-effectiveness in Malawi through an integrated program design. Deworm the World and Equal Vitamin Access will share certain operational resources and activities – including  joint national planning, teacher and health worker training, and community mobilization. This integrated approach will result in lower costs than implementing the programs separately. 

“This marks an important step in the evolution of our school health programming. It’s been six years since we launched deworming in a new country, and we’re excited to introduce Equal Vitamin Access outside of India for the first time,” says Brett Sedgewick, executive vice president of programs. “By integrating these programs in Malawi, we’re maximizing our impact and stretching every dollar even further. This paves the way for a healthier future for millions of Malawian children.”

A health multiplier for Malawi

Across all 28 districts in Malawi, we aim to reach more than 3.5 million children over three years with deworming treatments, iron and folic acid supplements, or both. We estimate that over 900,000 anemia cases will be averted over those three years, and, thanks to the long-term economic impacts of Deworm the World, livelihoods of dewormed children will improve by approximately $130M by 2046. 

Evidence Action has a long-standing presence in Malawi. We’ve been implementing Safe Water Now in the country since 2015, and today provide 15% of the population with access to safe water. 

“In collaboration with the government here in Malawi, we're building a framework for lasting change,” said Benson Botha, Evidence Action’s Malawi country director. “Together, by addressing these persistent short- and long-term health challenges of children and adolescents, we are helping to unlock the full potential of an entire generation of Malawians.”

Evidence Action is able to launch Deworm the World and Equal Vitamin Access in Malawi thanks to generous funding provided by IMC Pacific Foundation, Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, and Weiss Asset Management Foundation. You can support this program with a donation to our High Impact School Health Fund.

For more information, contact [email protected].