ITV Tonight presenter Morland Sanders talks to Brekuso Village Leaders about malaria. c. Harriet Gill

I have just returned from a busy field trip to Ghana where I travelled with an ITV film crew reporting back on work they helped to us fund, met with national partners and, most importantly, some of the many people benefiting directly from your support.

We are really excited to have this year’s ITV I’m A Celebrity… once again supporting our work in Ghana. A team from ITV’s popular current affairs programme Tonight travelled to Ghana to report back on how last year’s money has been used. It is a great opportunity to show their UK audience both the size of the malaria problem in Ghana – where 100% of the population is at risk – and what we have been doing to help prevent malaria by supporting the “hang up” bed net campaign.

Net bales being unloaded in East Akim, one of the districts that will be covered by new nets this month

I travelled with ITV to see local preparations for phase II of the campaign, which will provide and hang enough long lasting insecticide treated bed nets to cover everyone in 10 districts of Ghana’s Eastern Region. In one village we took part in a traditional community gathering, or Durbar, called by the Chief to provide information on net use and care. Talking afterwards to some of the 1,000 people attending, it was clear how much they are looking forward to receiving these nets. One father told me, “it is hard to sleep unprotected, knowing what suffering just one bite can bring. This wonderful gift will help me protect my family from malaria.”

We are supporting the Ghana hang up campaign as part of a government, national and international partnership, bringing together funding, expertise and local community support to ensure that these nets get to where they are needed most – hung up in the home. I saw first-hand the importance of this collaboration in getting these hundreds of thousands of nets, nails, ropes and records out to the right place, in the right number.

I also met some of the thousands of volunteers who have been mobilised and trained to register households, provide malaria information and, of course, hang the nets. Without them, none of this would be possible. Edward Ahima Botwe (pictured below), is just one of those who volunteered. His six children have all suffered with malaria and he told me how pleased he is to be helping his family and others to protect themselves: “We are all at risk from malaria here but, thanks to this programme, we are now going to be able to hang nets for everyone in my village.”

Net volunteer Edward Ahima Botwe c. Harriet Gill

We have supported the start of this national net campaign, however, there is still much more to be done before everyone who needs a net is covered. Nets, though crucial, are also just one piece of the malaria story. I met with the National Malaria Control Programme and its partners in Ghana to discuss other challenges: including the importance of getting quick, accurate malaria diagnosis and access to life-saving treatment to those that need it, when they need it most. I will be following up to see how we might also be able to support these efforts in future.

For now, I have returned, enthusiastic about what has been achieved, but determined to do more, the urging of a local nurse ringing in my ears: “please help us expand this net campaign across Ghana.”

To see more, tune in to Tonight’s “The Deadliest Bite” on ITV1 at 8pm Monday 22nd November.

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Our work in Ghana
ITV Tonight
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! supports Malaria No More UK