Twenty malaria billboards for East Sumba villages
Roadsides, schools and markets become outdoor classrooms for malaria prevention.
Twenty malaria prevention billboards now guide East Sumba families with vital knowledge to fight infection and seek timely care.
Malaria prevention billboards across East Sumba roads
In East Sumba, malaria remains a persistent challenge, significantly impacting daily life. As part of the East Sumba Malaria Prevention Project, we’ve installed 20 large information panels at key locations across the region. These structures, placed near busy markets, schools, churches, and main roads, spread vital information to thousands each week.
In Waingapu, teams from Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia handcrafted these panels. They carefully cut wood, printed graphics, and prepared materials, travelling along rugged roads and dry riverbeds with local health workers and village leaders to ensure wide distribution.
Each panel (see all our posters here) aims to raise public awareness by using simple language to explain how malaria spreads, identify early symptoms such as fever and chills, and show when urgent testing and treatment are needed. They also promote preventive measures, including the use of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and cleaner environments.
This initiative is part of a larger health strategy, supported by Rotary and Malaria Partners International, which includes community education, Kawan Sehat health agents, rapid diagnostic testing, and treatment centres in remote villages.
These billboards go beyond simple advertisements; they serve as outdoor classrooms made from wood. Their main goal is to reduce child mortality caused by mosquito bites and to inspire collective awareness, encouraging proactive public health measures.
Medical research shows that community education and accessible healthcare significantly reduce malaria rates. The efforts of organisations such as Fair Future and Kawan Baik Indonesia highlight the impact of culturally sensitive health interventions on public health outcomes.
Today, the 19th of November 2025 – Alex Wettstein
- Read the final report of the East Sumba Malaria Prevention Project: LINK
- View the interactive map showing the location of the 20 billboards in East Sumba: LINK
- View the full photo gallery of the malaria billboards and their installation in East Sumba: LINK
- View the malaria symptoms information poster in full size: LINK
- View the malaria prevention and protection poster in full size: LINK
Twenty billboards, one medical message
With the East Sumba Malaria Prevention Project and the support of Rotary and Malaria Partners International, Fair Future Foundation and Kawan Baik Indonesia built twenty malaria billboards for markets, schools and roadsides so that every journey becomes a health lesson about fever and protection.
Malaria prevention billboards protect families in East Sumba
Building malaria prevention billboards in East Sumba
Simple images that teach how to recognise fever, chills, and danger.
At our base camp in Waingapu, the dedicated teams of Fair Future and Kawan Baik Indonesia are hard at work. With limited resources, every plank, screw, and rope is a treasure that must be adapted to our needs. Our commitment to fighting malaria leads us to prepare by hand because no large machinery can assist us here.
The twenty billboard frames being constructed carry crucial messages about malaria. Malaria, caused by Plasmodium parasites transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes, can be prevented and managed with the correct information. Our billboards provide information on recognising malaria symptoms such as fever, chills, and headaches, as well as guidance on what steps to take if multiple family members fall ill.
Prevention is key, and our messages promote indoor residual spraying, using insecticide-treated mosquito nets, early testing after mosquito bites, and maintaining cleanliness to reduce mosquito breeding grounds.
For three arduous days, the Truck n’Load journeyed across East Sumba’s challenging landscapes, collaborating with local health authorities, villagers, and children. We selected 10 strategic locations—markets, schools, and churches—to ensure our health messages reached the widest possible audience.
Working under the beams of headlamps till midnight, we mixed concrete by hand. Under the Kawan Against Malaria program, with the support of Rotary and Malaria Partners International, these towering billboards now stand resilient, conveying vital information to thousands of families in areas with limited medical resources.
We cordially invite all captivated by this story to explore our photo gallery, witness this extraordinary effort, and further engage with our mission through our Instagram account.
Alex Wettstein – Fair Future Foundation medico-social camp in East Sumba – Rumah Kambera, Lambanapu – the 19th of November, 2025
Other inspiring organisations
List of Related Organisations with Hyperlinks
- World Health Organisation – Global Malaria Programme : Provides technical guidance and data on malaria control, diagnosis, and prevention globally.
- Malaria Partners International: Supports Rotary-led malaria projects with funding, training, and tools for community-based prevention in high-risk areas.
- Rotary International – Malaria Initiatives: A global service organisation funding local health projects, including malaria prevention, education, and access to treatment.
- The Global Fund – Malaria: Finances large-scale malaria programmes, providing nets, tests, and medicines to vulnerable populations in low-income countries.
- UNICEF Indonesia – Health: Works to improve child health, vaccination, and infectious disease prevention for families in remote regions of Indonesia.
- Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders: Delivers emergency medical care in crisis situations where malaria and other infectious diseases remain unchecked.
- PATH Malaria Center of Excellence: Develops innovative tools, research, and community strategies to reduce malaria transmission and enhance case management.
