A female spray operator on duty in Matabele North Province, Zimbabwe, near the northern border with Zambia. Spraying is done once a year to kill malarial mosquito larvae in the remote clusters of homesteads, with each spray operator walking from village to village, 7 days a week for a period of 21 days. The work to reach all homes in the province lasts 63 days, and employs 180 spray operators, to protect a population of approximately 780,000 people. The activities are part of a cross-border initiative between Zimbabwe and Zambia to eliminate malaria in the Zambezi valley, thereby paving the way for social and economic prosperity in the region.