Dr. Neeraj Mistry, John Kufuor and Dr. Ciro de Quadros at the luncheon to welcome Kufuor as NTD Special Envoy

We’re pleased to announce that the Honorable John Kufuor, president of Ghana (2001-2009), has joined the Global Network as our new neglected tropical disease (NTD) Special Envoy.

As a part of this new role, Kufuor will travel internationally to help educate development partners on the global NTD burden and encourage them to incorporate NTD control into existing global health or cross-sectoral development programs, as well as emphasize the need for investment in research and development efforts for NTDs.

The Global Network and the African Union honored Kufuor at a luncheon yesterday that was attended by members of the U.S. government and diplomats from several African countries.

In his remarks, Kufuor spoke about the impact of neglected tropical diseases in Ghana, particularly guinea worm, which has come close to elimination.

“Controlling NTDs is a major factor in improving health systems and reducing poverty in endemic countries,” he said. “I am delighted to apply my experience in improving health, nutrition, and food security programs in Africa to work with governments around the world to increase the funding and public awareness necessary to eliminate these devastating diseases.”

Kufuor is well known for his incredible success in reducing hunger and poverty in Ghana during his time in office.  Under his leadership, Ghana received a $500 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which they swiftly put to use in furthering their development efforts.

To learn more, check out our press release.

This week, T-shirt company Sevenly is raising funds and awareness for the END7 campaign by promoting our message, to end seven deadly diseases by 2020, while selling specially designed t-shirts.

Each week Sevenly sells a unique design that reflects the message of that week’s charity. For each shirt sold, $7 is donated to the charity.

Already Sevenly and END7 have surpassed the goal to raise $7,000 in less than 24 hours. Help us double that and reach the new goal of $14,000 by checking out Sevenly’s site, buying a shirt and spreading the word about the campaign using social media. T-shirts not your thing? You can still contribute to END7 by promoting our campaign to your own personal networks or by donating to END7 directly.

By:  Jessica Taaffe

Guest Blogger,  Jessica Taaffe discusses the importance of the biomedical community’s contributions to improving health worldwide.

We all grow up with stories – stories that uniquely distinguish us, and ultimately shape our understanding of whom we are and whom we want to be.  In my case, this couldn’t be truer.

My mother grew up in Paraguay, and many of her stories reveal the happy simplicity of her childhood, despite growing up in a “developing” country.  Her stories include running around barefoot and half-naked through the neighborhood and playing marbles with her siblings and neighbors.  Although seemingly traumatic, my mother’s mischievous nature and good humor is revealed each time she laughs through describing repeat clashes with a tarantula (why she didn’t learn the first time that intentionally harassing the spider by sticking her finger into its nest was a bad idea is beyond me!).

Though not all memories are as cheerful; my mother has recalled the warm garlic milk cures she and her siblings endured whenever they had “bichos” (worms), and how they had likely obtained these infections from being barefoot.  Suffice it to say, my mother was adamant about my brother and me wearing shoes when we were young, even though we grew up in the US. » Read more: Worm tales: One scientist’s inspiration to turn tropical diseases into ‘stories told by a past generation’”