corporate responsibility: Marathon Fights Malaria

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Just as important was technology transfer: Marathon officials wanted to be certain that the people of Equatorial Guinea would eventually be able to run the project entirely on their own. Although the company turned to Medical Care Development International, a Maryland-based nongovernmental organization, to get the program up and running, the group kept the number of expatriates involved to a minimum. "It was a huge training effort," says Dr. Brian Linder, director of health services for Marathon. "The idea is to build capacity and sustainability, and you can't do that if you hire it all in."

The broadly collaborative approach is working elsewhere in Africa as well. BHP Billiton (2005 revenues: $32 billion), an international petroleum and mining company, joined a similar partnership of businesses, charities and government organizations to decrease malaria rates in southern Mozambique, where the conglomerate has an aluminum smelter.

There's still a lot more to do. Health officials believe that using present-day tools and know-how could cut the malaria death rate in African countries 50%. The President's Malaria Initiative, announced by the Bush Administration in 2005, has pledged $1.2 billion for the effort over the next five years. For its part, Marathon helped the Equatoguinean government apply for a $26 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to expand the campaign to the rest of Equatorial Guinea. Clearly it is a good policy for business--and even better for people.