For Cameroon Factfinder – By Leocadia Bongben
On a warm April afternoon in Yaoundé, the fight against malaria did not take place in conference halls or policy forums. It unfolded instead in courtyards, classrooms, and community spaces, driven by an unexpected force: students.
At the Fobang Institutes for Innovations in Science & Technology (FINISTECH), this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD) shifted from speeches to action. While global conversations led by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the theme “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must” focused on innovation and elimination strategies, FINISTECH students were already on the ground, turning those ambitions into practical, life-saving interventions.
A day before the official commemoration on April 24, student volunteers moved door-to-door in nearby neighborhoods, reaching more than 70 households with a focus on pregnant women and children aged under five years, who remain most vulnerable to severe malaria. By the time the main outreach began on World Malaria Day (April 25), the groundwork had been laid: awareness had been sparked, and trust had been built.
What followed at the FINISTECH campus was a continuation of that community-first approach. Biomedical students, under the supervision of Dr. Tah-Monunde Mercy and Dr. Jane M. Enow, conducted free malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for the first 100 participants. Among the 30 individuals tested, only a few positive cases were identified each promptly referred to nearby health facilities. The relatively low number of positive cases suggested something often missing from malaria narratives: tangible progress at the grassroots level.
“For FINISTECH, science must serve lives,” said Prof. Wilfred F. Mbacham, Founding President of FINISTECH. “Our work shows that knowledge from our laboratories can empower communities to protect themselves and stay free from the malaria burden.”
Beyond testing, the campaign placed strong emphasis on communication, arguably one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in malaria control. Through quiz contests, interactive awareness sessions, and compelling storytelling, complex health messages were translated into practical, everyday actions: sleep under Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLINs), test fevers early, and seek prompt treatment. Participants who excelled in quizzes based on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on malaria prevention were awarded LLINs, reinforcing frontline protection.
Music also emerged as a dynamic vehicle for public health messaging. Cameroonian Malaria Ambassador Ottou Marcelin was invited to the health campaign and delivered performances that made prevention memorable, effectively bridging the gap between knowledge and behaviour in ways formal policy often cannot. His theme song is pregnant with key messaging on proper malaria control with the refrain echoing: “Let’s stand together against malaria!”
As Prof. Wilfred Mbacham notes, storytelling remains a powerful but underused tool for community engagement and when combined with music, its impact deepens significantly. This blended approach where science meets storytelling, highlights an essential truth: malaria elimination cannot rely on laboratories alone. It depends on informed, engaged communities that actively take ownership of prevention and health care.
That understanding was echoed at a high-level parallel webinar jointly organized by FINISTECH, the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM) Society, and Covenant University. Themed “Malaria at the Crossroads: Resistance, Innovation, and the Future of Elimination,” the virtual session engaged 118 participants out of 301 registrants, bringing together researchers including Prof. Olayemi Akinnola (Covenant University), Prof. Evelyn Ansah (University of Health & Allied Sciences, Ghana), Prof. Olubanke O. Ogunlana, Prof. Wellington A. Oyibo (University of Lagos), and Prof. Akindeh Nji (FINISTECH). Speakers collectively called for bold innovations to address the growing threat of insecticide and drug resistance, thus an increasingly urgent challenge across Africa.
Cameroon still carries a heavy malaria burden, with millions of cases and thousands of deaths reported annually. Yet initiatives like this suggest that solutions may be closer than they appear not just in new technologies, but in how existing tools are delivered and embraced. What stood out most was not the scale of the campaign, but its structure. Students were not passive learners; they were frontline actors. They tested, educated, mobilized, and broadcasted, turning academic training into tangible public service.
“Students are our malaria champions,” said Dr. Peter Thelma Ngwa, campaign coordinator. “They are turning knowledge into real community service.”
As the day wound down, participants took a public pledge to test early, treat promptly, and protect their families. They left with mosquito nets, new knowledge, and a shared commitment. Small promises, perhaps, but ones that, multiplied across thousands of households, form the backbone of elimination efforts. The lesson from FINISTECH’s campaign is clear: ending malaria will depend not only on global strategies, but on local ownership. And in Yaoundé, that ownership is increasingly in the hands of students.
Delivered in partnership with the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and FINISTECH’s Radio Health International (RHI), the campaign aligned with this year’s global call to action: the tools, knowledge, and scientific breakthroughs required to end malaria are already available. The priority now is to translate these assets into sustained, community-driven action.
Founded in 2021, FINISTECH is a Cameroon-based institution in Yaoundé dedicated to transforming scientific knowledge into practical solutions that improve lives, particularly in public health. Through a “learn by doing” approach, it combines biomedical sciences and biotechnology training with hands-on community engagement, empowering students to become active contributors to health and development.