At the recent “Uniting to Combat NTDs: Translating the London Declaration into Action,” we had a chance to catch up with Alissa Fishbane, then the managing director of Deworm the World (DtW). DtW is a non-governmental organization that addresses NTDs by supporting governments and development partners to expand school-based deworming programs for school-aged children across the globe.

Global Network: Why should people care about NTDs?

Alissa Fishbane: Our work in NTDs is deworming. And there are a number of reasons why deworming is important but I’ll share what I think are three very important reasons.

First, deworming has an immediate impact on children’s education. When we think about the investments we make in education, we make important ones like schools, teachers, books, but ultimately the kids need to be there to learn. So we’ve seen how deworming is one of the most cost-effective ways to get kids in school.

The second, I would say is the long-term effects of deworming. We’ve seen studies where deworming has led to higher wages for children as they grow to adults. They’re also more literate and they’re able to work more hours.

And the third is the spill-overs we see. It’s not just the kids themselves who are receiving the benefit of deworming, but because we stop the transmission from these kids, then that spills over into the communities

So when we think about how cost-effective deworming is and we combine the immediate impact on education, the long-term impact on higher wages and the spill-over effects – and then we think there’s 600 million kids out there – school-aged kids – who are either at-risk or infected, deworming is just a fundamental part.

Global Network: Can you share a story about someone who has experienced deworming?

AF: One of the stories is from a girl name Rica in Bihar, India. She comes from a poor family [and is] the only kid in school who doesn’t wear shoes. She [is] not the top student in her class, but Rica’s always very attentive. She really likes school, she never misses class, and she has a dream. Rica’s dream is to grow up and help underprivileged kids. But Rica suddenly became […] lethargic. She wasn’t eating as well and she started not going to school as often. Her parents became worried and they tried a number of therapies and medications to figure out what’s going on. Ultimately, it was after the deworming day at school that Rica felt better. Not only did Rica feel better, but her parents noticed that she was more active at home, better able to participate in household activities. The teachers at school [also] said they noticed her concentration was up again and she was actually participating in extracurricular activities again.

And so, it’s being able to combine knowing the science behind what we’re doing and also seeing the change happening in front of you. [This] is what [has] been really inspiring.

Global Network: What inspired you to invest your energy in working on the deworming campaign?

AF: What originally drew me into this field was the evidence. I have a research and evaluation background and so it was just that learning that deworming was such a global best-buy for development drew me in. Seeing the change happen on the ground […] is so inspiring day-to-day. For me, something that was so cost-effective, so simple, so easy, so safe and so cost-effective, is what really motivated me to join the cause.