SC Johnson, Makers of Raid®, Is Helping Build Up Africa’s Healthcare Network, Bringing Families ‘Closer to Care’

Imagine contracting malaria. Now imagine having to walk miles to receive treatment. For many Rwandans, that is the reality. In 2022, 608,000 people died of malaria—95 percent of them in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. This life-threatening disease is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of a certain type of infected female mosquito. People who contract malaria typically become very sick with high fevers, shaking chills and flu-like symptoms. If left untreated, malaria can turn deadly just 24 hours after symptoms appear, yet 4 in 5 Rwandans live in rural areas miles away from healthcare and oftentimes without means of transportation.

On a mission to help build up Africa’s healthcare network to aid in the fight against malaria, SC Johnson, makers of Raid®, in partnership with the Society for Family Health Rwanda and the Rwanda Ministry of Health, are bringing health posts that diagnose, treat and prevent malaria to some of the most remote parts of Rwanda. Known as Closer to Care, this initiative has led to 76 health posts being built throughout the region, bringing the average walk-time to receive care down from 3 hours to just 30 minutes. Closer to Care has brought healthcare closer to over a million people—and counting.

For more than 60 years, SC Johnson has been demonstrating its leadership in insect science research, and for the last decade has specifically focused on preventing mosquito-borne disease with prevention tools that maximize social impact and help strengthen communities. Closer to Care is proof of this as the health posts go beyond healthcare. With the addition of health posts in these rural areas come additional jobs. For example, when a health post is built, more infrastructure is needed—convenience stores and housing are built nearby—providing jobs to both build and staff the new businesses. These health posts provide healthcare, but are also a catalyst for other economic activity and impact—and ultimately, a source of hope for the community.

Prior to the development of health posts, family and community members were the frontline of defense in the fight against malaria, oftentimes the majority being women. The time they spent caring for their communities made it nearly impossible to secure consistent work, severely impacting their economic growth. Through an educational program known as Certified Care, local women are trained and empowered to become officially certified Community Health Workers and earn a living wage for providing the care they were already giving.