Community drug distributors in Cinzana, Mali prepare for mass drug distribution. Photo ©HKI.

As it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to control and eliminate NTDs. In Mali’s Segou Region resides Cinzana, a town made of 39 villages with 15,000 inhabitants with a high number of NTD cases. Diseases suffered by the area include trachoma, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis, and lymphatic filariasis. Fortunately, Mali is one of 12 countries supported by an initiative funded by USAID called the NTD Control Program. Beginning in 2007, the Program partnered with the country’s Ministry of Health to distribute drugs and treatment to control NTDs. In Cinzana, distribution is conducted by a community group comprised of volunteers. Effective delivery of drugs to each infected individual can pose as a lofty endeavor. Limited resources and poor road infrastructures act as barriers to getting drugs to individuals in the outskirts of Cinzana, and becomes an even greater obstacle during the rainy seasons.

Despite these challenges, the NTD Control Program has been highly successful. By the end of 2009, the entire area of Cinzana received treatment. Much of this success is attributed to the community’s willingness to participate and be a part of the Program’s activities. Volunteers quickly recognized that effective distribution could only be reached if there was a large number of community drug distributors (CDDs). Thus, one of Cinzana’s economic interest groups, the Association of Community Health (ASACO), garnered the support of 200 much needed CDDs. In addition to the increase of CDDs, ASACO along with Mali’s government also provided more resources conducive to effective disease control such as notebooks, pens, and dosing poles, which are wooden tools used to identify the correct drug dosage for each individual.

Through community involvement and participation, Cinzana was able to reach 100% geographic coverage rates. Cinzana pledges to continue its diligence and dedication to the work of the NTD Control Program, working toward reaching goals and controlling NTDs.

To do your part in controlling and eliminating NTDs, please visit the Global Network website to get involved.

Support for NTD control in Mali is provided by USAID through a grant to Helen Keller International. Program activities are a part of the NTD Control Program led by RTI International. For more information, please visit http://ntd.rti.org/.