One child dies every 7 minutes from malaria and malaria accounts for approximately 15% of the overall Disability Associated Life Years (DALYs) lost in the country.

The World Bank Protection of Basic Services Project is a US$215 million grant co-financed by Canada, the EU, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK, which is managed by the World Bank. The Project includes a US$20 million component for malaria control as part of a Health Millennium Development Goal Performance Fund. This Fund provides predictable financing for critical primary health service inputs that cannot be efficiently financed through block grants and serves as the entry point in Ethiopia for the Booster Program. Donors are expected to add additional resources to this Fund to increase immunization coverage, expand access to contraceptives, and implement malaria control activities.

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Ethiopia has recently re-invigorated its malaria-control efforts and is on the verge of a major accomplishment. In 2003, Ethiopia was lagging behind many countries in Africa with less than 5 percent of households owning even a single treated bednet. Today, it is close to reaching an ambitious target: every household in a malarious area will own two LLINs. An impressive 20 million nets have been distributed in the past two years despite formidable obstacles; this should cover 90 percent of households in malarious areas of Ethiopia. This turn-around can be attributed to the exceptional leadership of the government of Ethiopia. Its commitment to bringing the disease under control, despite political difficulties in the country, indicates that progress is possible even in times of instability. Working together, donors such as the Global Fund, the World Bank, DFID and CIDA, have supported the government by providing flexible and pragmatic funding to ensure that efforts are scaled up and maintained. Health centers in many parts of Ethiopia have reported a decrease in malaria patients, freeing up health worker time to deal with other pressing concerns. Perhaps the most important accomplishment has been the reduction of child deaths over time; DHS survey findings from 2000 to 2005 revealed a greater than 20 percent drop in deaths of children under age 5 (due to all causes). The demonstrated decrease in malaria transmission, alongside the observed decline in child mortality is encouraging even if not attributable to any single intervention or program. The early progress in Ethiopia sends a clear message: it is possible to make dramatic gains in controlling malaria in Africa over a relatively short period of time.