Each month, END7 honors one student who has made a significant contribution to our growing movement of student advocates dedicated to seeing the end of NTDs. We are very proud to introduce our October Student of the Month, Meghna Purkayastha, a junior at Smith College. Meghna, a biology major with a minor in economics, shares:
“I learned of END7 from a talk hosted by my research professor at Smith, Dr. Steve Williams. He introduced Dr. Peter Hotez who discussed the microbiology of neglected tropical diseases and the work of the END7 campaign. Currently, I am studying the NTD lymphatic filariasis in my research lab with Dr. Williams. We are looking at plant-based anti-parasitic compounds to fight the disease. I believe public and global health are at the forefront of the economic, political, and social issues of the developing world. As an active member of the Student Government Association at Smith, I hope to educate young activists and students in my community about the END7 campaign.
“I was recently invited to speak at an event hosted by EKTA, a South Asian student group on campus. At Mehndi Night 2014, I presented the END7 goals, and since Mehndi Night was the day before the Article 25 Day of Action, I also discussed the importance of END7’s collaboration with the Article 25 campaign to raise awareness about the right to health included in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I showed END7’s video, and discussed the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I was able to raise about $130 in donations in just five minutes! I took a picture of the crowd and sent it to the Article 25 activists, and even set up a Photo Booth for the audience to stand in front of that stated “Article 25.” Mehndi Night had multiple performances and food from South Asia that featured a dance performance by my dance team SC Masti! I was excited to combine my two passions: educating others about END7, and dance! I thought presenting END7 at this event was pertinent because of the magnitude of NTDs in South Asia. I look forward to continue educating my peers about END7 in the future.”
Meghna’s collaboration with EKTA for Mehndi Night is a great example of the partnerships needed to drive the effort against NTDs forward. We are excited to see students like Meghna linking the END7 campaign to students groups in their university communities, and we are so grateful for the support of the Smith community!
We are are excited to see our like Meghna continue to grow. If you are ready to get your school involved in END7’s work, contact student coordinator Emily on or at to learn how you can get started!