Tag Archives: END7 Campaign

Introducing Sophia, END7 May Student of the Month

END7, Student Advocacy, ,

 

Sophia

Each month, END7 honors one student who has made a significant contribution to our growing movement of young people dedicated to seeing the end of NTDs. For her incredible work during the month of May, we are proud to honor 11-year old END7 supporter Sophia.

Sophia

Sophia with donations she collected to sell at a yard sale to benefit END7

Sophia, a sixth-grader in an International Baccalaureate school, first learned about NTDs in an article in Scientific American. Right away, she knew she wanted to get involved in the cause and decided to focus her International Baccalaureate Exhibition Project on NTDs. “I was concerned about the symptoms of these diseases and how many people have them,” she shares. “I was surprised at how little it takes to help them!  I knew then what I was going to do for my Exhibition. I looked up NTDs and the link for END7’s homepage came up.” Sophia decided she wanted her project to support END7. “I wanted to help provide medicine to people, so I came up with the idea to hold a yard sale for my Exhibition action. I raised $878.50. That’s enough to treat 1,757 people! Along with the donations to my personal fundraising page, that brings the total up to 2,086 people so far! Now, I am working on my presentation for Exhibition day. I hope my presentation makes more people aware of the 7 NTDs and makes them want to help eliminate them. Because together, we can see the end!”

We are so grateful for Sophia’s commitment to END7 and are excited to see our community of young supporters grow. If you or a young person you know want to get involved in END7’s work, contact student coordinator Emily at to learn how you can get started!

Introducing the END7 playlist

END7, NTDs

 

9511213674_31a3c06cc7_z

With the help of supporters around the world, the END7 campaign is raising funds and awareness for the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We’re constantly motivated by our amazing partners on the ground who are working tirelessly to get the medicine to treat NTDs to those who need it most. But when we’re in need of that extra push, the right music motivates us to work harder and dream bigger. That’s why we’ve created an .

The artists highlighted in our playlist are from places across the world, including NTD-endemic countries. The eclectic 25-track, 100-minute playlist reminds us that by working together, we can end needless suffering caused by NTDs.  What a great way to spice up your bake sale or fundraising event!

Though all of these tracks were carefully selected, we want to highlight just a few before you listen:

  • Jibal Alnuba, produced by French producer Debruit with vocals & lyrics by Sudanese vocalist Alsarah, is a medley of two Sudanese girls’ songs about loss and longing. Alsarah emigrated from both Sudan and Yemen due to civil unrest, and sings about local women’s issues. She was included because the fight against NTDs is linked to a woman’s rights to health.
  • He No Dead Yet, by King Fighter, exemplifies the function of the Trinidadian calypso hall in the late 1950’s and 1960’s as a platform for candid social discourse during a time of political tumult. NTDs like lymphatic filariasis have long been prevalent on small islands like Trinidad and Tobago until , and this song provides dark comic relief to the familial burden of debilitating disease.
  • We’ve also included a song by Yvonne Chaka Chaka, a South African singer dubbed the “Princess of Africa,” who also happens to be an END7 supporter and appears in our “” video.

 

Take a listen by following the link .

Image by Sascha Kohlmann

Introducing Grace Gannon: END7 February Student of the Month

END7, NTDs, Student Advocacy, ,

 

Grace GannonEach month, END7 honors one student who has made a significant contribution to our growing movement of student advocates dedicated to seeing the end of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We are very proud to introduce our February Student of the Month, Grace Gannon, who has distinguished herself as one of our most passionate and talented student leaders as an inaugural member of the END7 Student Advisory Board. Grace, a junior at the University of Texas-Austin studying public health, shares:

“The past seven months have by far been the best months of my life—oddly enough, due to a group of seven deadly diseases. I first heard about neglected tropical diseases from the book Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases. I read the book over the summer and was fascinate​d with NTDs and their crippling effects in developing regions. I then had the privilege of meeting with the author, Dr. Peter Hotez of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, to ask what I as a student could do to make a difference for people suffering from NTDs. Dr. Hotez encouraged me that advocating for NTD treatment did not have to wait until I graduated from medical school, equipped with the necessary tools to treat infected persons. He convinced me that by involving the UT community, with a student body of over 50,000 and one of the most extensive and organized alumni networks in the country, I could begin to make a difference right away. Immediately I accepted the challenge, and what an incredible journey it has been.”

Grace founded END7 at UT in August of 2013 to involve her community in her new-found passion. She has formed a vibrant group of student advocates at UT in just a few months. “Through END7 at UT,” she continues, “I am able to put my passion for fighting NTDs into direct action. END7 at UT is reaching out to the UT and greater Austin communities to educate people about NTDs. Our goal is to enlighten the public to the widespread suffering that is silently prevailing across the developing world. We believe in health as a human right and want to educate and raise funds to support successful public health interventions such as rapid impact packages of NTD drugs.

UT Valentines Day

So far, END7 at UT has hosted two successful fundraisers on campus and has raised over $1,000 through our online fundraising page. Moving forward, we plan to host several awareness events, educating students to be effective advocates for NTD treatment programs. Overall, having the opportunity to work with END7 has been an incredible honor, and I cannot wait to see what END7 at UT will be able to accomplish.”

We are so grateful for Grace’s continued commitment to END7 and are excited to see our like her 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!

How You Contributed to the Movement against NTDs in 2013 – and How We Can Do Even More

Africa, Asia, de-worming, elephantiasis, END7, Global Development, Global Health, grassroots, Latin America and the Caribbean, parasites, post 2015,

 

As 2013 comes to a close, we have reason to celebrate. END7 supporters helped treat entire communities of people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Honduras, Myanmar, and Kenya, and our partners have completed treatment programs for millions of people in other countries. We’re making progress in the fight against NTDs.

The hundreds of thousands of children, mothers, families and communities who benefit from NTD treatment motivate us to continue the fight; mothers like Alice who pray every day for the health of their families, and sisters like Neema who want to be healthy and free of parasites so they can play and learn with their siblings.

Watch our new video to see the people who are benefitting from our work. We want to say thank you for making a difference in their lives.

The effort to end NTDs includes a diverse group of global partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), national governments, pharmaceutical companies, corporations and individuals. Just this year, world leaders took notice and stood up for the 1.4 billion people suffering from NTDs.  The World Health Assembly, the African Union and the Organization of America States all made commitments to end NTDs. Governments across the world made national plans to end NTDs within their own countries — and when so many END7 supporters spoke out on behalf of those suffering from  NTDs, the United Nations responded with a letter stating that the fight against NTDs is “paramount to the global efforts to eradicate poverty.”

We’ve come a long way, but we can do even more in 2014 with your help. We’re ready to expand our efforts next year and reach even more communities in more countries. Your donations help deliver medicine to hard to reach places, train healthcare workers to administer treatment, educate people about NTDs, prepare for annual pill distributions and help communities take ownership of their own treatment programs.

If we want to improve the health of the most marginalized communities, enhance economic performance and contribute to broader development goals, we need to press on in the fight against NTDs. Will you stand with us? Donate, or start your own campaign to amplify our efforts and improve the lives of those who need it most.