All posts by Michelle Brooks

About Michelle Brooks

Michelle Brooks is the Policy Director for the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

Reaching Out “Across the Pond” to Advance the NTD Cause

NTDs, policy, U.S Government,

 

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Despite the government shutdown earlier this month, Global Network’s Managing Director Neeraj Mistry, Sabin Foundation Europe Board member and chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDs Jeremy Lefroy MP, and Nigerien National Assembly Member Ibrahim Souleymane MP were invited to meet with Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) during their recent visit to the United States.   Sen. Wicker, who currently co-chairs the Senate Working Group on Malaria and NTDs (Working Group) with Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE), has a long-track record of supporting global health issues and other foreign assistance programs.   Support from lawmakers like Sen. Wicker remains essential to ensuring that the U.S. Congress continues to fund and raise awareness for important global health initiatives like USAID’s NTD Program.

At the meeting, Mr. Lefroy and Sen. Wicker discussed their mutual work in fighting malaria and NTDs through legislative channels, and how they could possibly encourage their counterparts in parliamentary bodies around the world to advance the NTD cause.  Mr. Souleymane was grateful to provide an African perspective to the group and affirm the positive work underway in support of the Government of Niger’s health agenda.  In addition, Neeraj provided a succinct overview of the global NTD landscape, the role of the Global Network, and the on-going success of USAID’s NTD Program, which now operates in 24 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Mr. Lefroy was particularly interested in Sen. Wicker’s role as co-chair of the Working Group as he champions the U.S. government’s fight against malaria and NTDs on Capitol Hill.  The two also discussed the broader development needs in Africa and the Senator’s recent trip to Tanzania, where Mr. Lefroy lived previously with his family while he worked in the coffee industry.   Tanzania currently receives USAID funding for a comprehensive NTD program, implemented by RTI International, IMA Worldhealth, and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control.

We hope that these great advocates for NTDs will be able to rally the support of more parliamentarians and lawmakers―within their own bodies and around the world―to support global efforts to control and eliminate the most common NTDs by 2020.

Your Voice Travels to NYC

NTDs, ,

 

Three weeks ago we asked you to speak out for the world’s poorest people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by signing our letter addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We were overwhelmed by your response, and thanks to YOU, we received nearly 3,000 signatures and the number is still growing!

Ban Ki-moon is set to take the stage at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in less than a week, and your letters will arrive in New York City just in time. Together, we made our message clear that efforts to treat and eliminate NTDs enhance countries’ economic performance and contribute to broader development goals like better access to education, poverty reduction,  and improved maternal and child health.

We received about 3,000 signatures! Here I am sizing up the pile.

We received about 3,000 signatures! Here I am sizing up the pile.

The Post-2015 Development Agenda, guided by the United Nations, will determine how the world tackles poverty and global development in the years to come.  And as we’ve noted, NTDs were already included in the High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda’s report — an important first step.  But recognizing of the importance of including NTDs  by Ban Ki-moon and others over the next few months  be a huge win for the NTD community and the billion plus people suffering from NTDs worldwide. We hope you’ll be listening with us.

P.S. We already mailed our letter, but this action is not over! You can still sign the letter if you haven’t already and share the action with your friends. Momentum for NTD treatment is growing, but we can make this wave even bigger!

We Need Your Voice: Now’s the Time to Tell World Leaders to End NTDs

Global Development, policy, post 2015, , , ,

 

700x700UN_Secretary-General_END7As September quickly approaches, world leaders are gearing up for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) where they’ll discuss how to improve the lives of the billion people on the planet living in extreme poverty. These poor and neglected populations represent those suffering from devastating and disfiguring neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

We know that treating NTDs is a catalyst for achieving broader development goals, especially those outlined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is why I’ve written a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging him to prioritize NTDs as part of his strategy to reduce poverty and inequality worldwide.

This is where you come in: By adding your name to my letter, our message will be amplified. Will you send a message to Ban Ki-moon now on behalf of the billion people suffering from NTDs? 

NTDs perpetuate a cycle of poverty that continues from generation to generation. These diseases directly affect nutrition, school attendance and the development of children. Even more, they undercut economic growth and increase the likelihood of contracting other harmful diseases like HIV.

But if we act now, we can persuade the world’s governments to help the world’s most neglected people by resolving to eliminate NTDs once and for all.

Ban Ki-moon has said “eradicating extreme poverty continues to be one of the main challenges of our time.” However, we know that poverty cannot be solved as long as one in six people are living with NTDs.

But there is good news: The medicine to treat NTDs is cheap, safe, available and life-changing. Even more, global momentum is growing to treat and prevent NTDs. The recent report issues by the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda placed NTDs alongside the most pressing global health issues, such as preventing maternal and child deaths; HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis.

Together we can elevate funding, research and political will for NTD treatment. Will you be a part of this success story?

Add your name here and pass it on. Together we can see the end of 7 NTDs.

Scott Wolf and Michael Gerson Speak Out About the Importance of Malaria Funding

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This week, actor Scott Wolf and Columnist Michael Gerson each gave a personal account of their recent trip to Senegal where they observed first-hand how U.S. Government (USG) funding is successfully fighting the scourge of malaria.  The event, hosted by the Malaria No More Policy Center (MNMPC), included remarks by Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)—Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)—and, allowed Hill staff, Administration officials, and global health policy stakeholders to acknowledge the achievements to date and how important USG funding is for on-going malaria research and control efforts.

Source: MNMPC website

Wolf and Gerson accompanied former MNMPC Managing Director, Mark Green (who has just joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coaltion as its new Senior Director) on the trip and were invigorated by the Senegalese people they met on the ground.  NTDs were not forgotten at the event and Global Network Managing Director Neeraj Mistry had a chance to chat with both Rep. Fortenberry and Rep. Payne to thank them for their support and interest in NTDs. Global Network plans to host a series of region specific NTD congressional briefings through the Malaria and NTD Caucus this year.

The March 1st reception was supported by ONE, Friends of the Global Fight, World Vision, Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa and the Malaria Vaccine Initiative, and Global Network.

Read more about this event here.