Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites carried by female Anopheles mosquitoes, which spread them when they bite. In 2021 it was the top cause of death among children under five in more than 20 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, even though it is both preventable and treatable. Young children are especially vulnerable because they have not yet built up partial immunity, so a fever can quickly become severe anaemia, seizures or cerebral malaria. Bed nets treated with insecticide, indoor spraying, and fast diagnosis with antimalarial drugs prevent most of these deaths. The gap between what works and what reaches children is the core of the problem.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.