One Fabric, One Fight, One Future
One Fabric, One Fight, One Future
By Nuradeen Zakariyya.
When I speak about malaria, I do not speak as an observer, I speak as a survivor. I lost my father and baby niece to malaria. I nearly lost my mother too, and I have fought the disease myself. These experiences are not isolated tragedies; they are the daily realities of millions across Africa. Each life lost leaves a scar, but also a thread, a thread of courage, of resilience and hope. In our culture, fabric tells stories. Through the Fabric Campaign Activation, I see those stories woven together; the pain of loss interlaced with the promise of change. Each pattern becomes a voice, calling the world to remember that behind every statistic lies a human life worth saving.
As a young African and a future doctor, I believe our generation carries both the memory and the mandate, to transform grief into action and resilience into advocacy. At the GFAN Africa Youth Forum, I called on youth to use creativity, art, and storytelling to champion the Global Fund’s 8th Replenishment. Because this campaign is not just about dollars, it is about dignity, about keeping promises to the world’s most vulnerable. The Global Fund has already saved over 70 million lives, but millions more depend on what we do next. When youth raise their voices through fabric, digital art, or policy engagement, we are not just asking for funds; we are demanding a future where no child dies from a mosquito bite, no dream is ended by preventable disease, and no community is left behind. This is our story, one fabric, one fight, one future.
Nuradeen Zakariyya is a storyteller, malaria advocate, and aspiring doctor from Nigeria who shares his personal story of loss to highlight the ongoing fight against the disease and the vital work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Watch his story here.
