Inspired by her experiences during her time as a youth corps member in Nigeria’s National Youth Service, Francisca Olamiju founded the Mission to Save the Helpless (MITOSATH).
MITOSATH is a non-governmental development organization (NGDO) dedicated to fighting onchocerciasis (river blindness) and other common neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminthes, and trachoma in Nigeria. The organization started out with an initial focus to control river blindness in Taraba State, and is now supporting three states (Taraba, Ondo and Lagos) in mapping, baseline surveys, control and elimination of NTDs.
The states of Nigeria. States supported by MITOSATH outlined.
Lt. General T.Y. Danjuma, a former Defense Minister and Chief of Army Staff, is the primary benefactor of MITOSATH. He emphasized that he is a “businessman, not a scientist or medical doctor or policy maker.” According to General Danjuma, it will take all of us working together to eliminate this disease once and for all from our continent. In a recent inauguration of the T. Y. Danjuma Building named in his honor at the MITOSATH Centre, he also noted why he was a strong supporter of the mission of the organization.
“I know first-hand what river blindness is. I am from Taraba State and I have had a personal experience with this disease and live with relatives and friends who are victims of this scourge. Onchocerciasis – it’s a long, rather difficult name, isn’t it? And the disease is long and difficult too. The worms fester and grow and snake their way through our bodies, and they make life miserable. The itching is horrible and of course, the blindness is something no one deserves. So we now call it river blindness, which is easier to say, but still makes people shiver at the thought.” » Read more: MITOSATH: The Mission to Save the Helpless
