A CHILD SICK WITH MALARIA MEANS LOST HOUSEHOLD INCOME

“When my child gets sick, everything collapses.”  
  
 

Jamila is a street food vendor in the Yakassi community in Kano state. She sells local rice and local drinks daily to support her family. But during the rainy season, everything changes. That is when Jamila’s six-year-old son, Ahmed, regularly comes down with cerebral malaria – a severe, life-threatening form that affects the nervous system. “He has a high fever and convulsions at night. It gets so bad that I’m in and out of the hospital. When my son falls sick, I stop cooking, I stop selling, and I have no income,” Jamila shares.  
 
In July 2025, she spent N8,000 on her son’s treatment, which is equivalent to one week’s profit. This is not the first time. Her son falls ill every rainy season, at a time when her business already suffers due to most of her customers leaving for farming.  
 
Jamila feels that malaria treatment should be free, but she pays out of pocket every rainy season during her son’s malaria crises. She uses a mosquito net from a past malaria campaign, but it is old and worn and ineffective in malaria prevention, having been used for years. Still, they continue to use the mosquito net because they cannot afford a replacement. “Rainy season is crisis season for us,” she said. “The income that I lose during this time hurts the most.”  
 
Malaria doesn’t just affect health; it drains fragile incomes and makes basic living harder for working. Investing in malaria and the Global Fund helps keep children in school, supports prosperity, jobs and stability.