Wow, it's been quite a day here in Madagascar. During the past week, Malaria No More's campaign partners from all over the world have descended upon Madagascar to celebrate and assist in the launch of Mother and Child Health Week, during which over 1.4 million bed nets will be distributed and more than four million mothers and children will benefit from a package of free health services.

By 5:30 a.m. this morning, we were all on our way to the official launch site of the campaign here in Madagascar. To my amazement, lining the streets were thousands of Malagasy children and their parents – all eager to celebrate the arrival of free bed nets, Measles vaccinations, Vitamin A and other health interventions. The kids had obviously been given a pass on classes today, and why not? This campaign is a big deal in the lives of these precious children. In a country where 89% of people still live below the poverty line, these free interventions provide much-needed help that would otherwise be out of reach for most Malagasy people. This will be the biggest health related operation ever known in Madagascar, integrating a package of free-of-charge health services targeted towards children, pregnant women and mothers.

To a packed crowd of thousands of Malagasy people and a sprinkling of representatives from the President's Malaria Initiative, American Red Cross, UNICEF, Global Fund, Canadian Red Cross, Sumitomo, Vestergaard and others, Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana spoke with a deep commitment to winning the war against malaria in his country. In fact, in the days leading up to the launch, Malaria No More's Vice Chair John Bridgeland and I got to meet Madagascar's Minister of Health and Malaria Control Director. It's clear that the President's energy for this cause is contagious, as they both impressed us with powerful motivation and precise organization.

But back to the thrill of today. Yvonne Chaka Chaka, who I like to call the Whitney Houston of South Africa (though I believe they call her "The Princess of South Africa" here), had been asked to travel to Madagascar and attend the launch ceremony as a speaker at the ceremony. But when the President unexpectedly put her on the spot by asking her to sing a song – she kindly obliged with a crowd stirring performance. But I think my favorite song was sung by the crowd itself. I didn't understand what was said on stage (in Malagasy) to preempt the song, so I was awed when the air was suddenly filled with the a-cappella singing voices of thousands of Malagasy people. I have no idea what the song was about, but it certainly lifted the spirit of the occasion beyond any expectation I'd held.

As we had begun our day, we ended it with the children of Madagascar. They were everywhere, and eager to talk and game with us. As my French is poor and my Malagasy non-existent, I learned that quite a bit can be said with a smile and a high five. What a fantastically warming and wonderfully exhausting day. Good night from Madagascar.

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