Tuesday 25 April is World Malaria Day, but working towards eliminating malaria is a tireless, year-round job for many organisations and individuals across the globe.

Over the last eight years, South African-based social enterprise Relate Bracelets has sold 1 million beaded bracelets (and still counting) for malaria causes, contributing nearly£900 000 to the Global Fund for Malaria and towards job creation.

In the United Kingdom, Relate bracelets can be purchased in selected Jack Wills stores nationwide and online for £5 each. Jack Wills sells these handmade African bracelets in support of Malaria No More UK, to help save lives from malaria.

The Jack Wills Malaria No More Relate bracelets are available in two unisex designs threaded with either multicoloured beads or navy and pink beads (Jack Wills’s signature colours), and finished off with a Mr. Wills charm.

Each year hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria. The vast majority of deaths are children and pregnant women, being described as “particularly vulnerable” to the disease.

According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, in 2015, there were around 212 million malaria cases and an estimated 429 000 malaria deaths.

Despite the fact that malaria’s footprint has been drastically reduced in recent years, a staggering 3.2 billion people remain at risk of the disease. That’s almost half of the world’s population of an estimated 7 billion.

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease and complete eradication is possible – this is evident in the huge strides being made by organisations working on the ground in affected areas. The majority of malaria cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa, around 90% in fact. It is for this reason that one of Relate’s first bracelets was developed in 2009 to raise funds for “United Against Malaria” (UAM), one of the first initiatives where the African continent donated to the Global Fund,headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

Since then, Relate has donated further funds for malaria with bracelets sold in support of UAM, Goodbye Malaria, and Malaria No More.

Relate has achieved this phenomenal success by operating as a business and not relying on handouts. A large part of the non-profit’s now international success is also from the support of, and working with, major corporates and retailers around the world. 

“Through strategic corporate and retail partnerships, we have been able to expand our global footprint by operating as a business for social benefit – creating jobs for hundreds of South Africans in the process,” says Neil Robinson, chief executive officer of Relate Bracelets.

A portion of the funds from every bracelet sold worldwide is also designated for enterprise development initiatives in South Africa.

This one small purchase can make a big difference. With the purchase of even just a single bracelet, you are helping to raise funds to save lives and make malaria no more. Look out for Relate’s trademark pewter “R”-bead found on every Relate bracelet, the recognised symbol of the organisation’s transparency and accountability.

To purchase a Jack Wills Relate bracelet click here.