THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has joined Sightsavers in the global fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), with a grant of US$2.19 million to help eliminate the blinding disease in Zambia. The funding was announced at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum in Dubai where a total of $777m US dollars were pledged to help fight the 21 conditions classed as NTDs.
Trachoma begins as a bacterial infection, with symptoms similar to conjunctivitis. But repeated infections cause scarring that makes people’s eyelashes turn inwards and scrape painfully against the eye with every blink. Left untreated it leads to sight loss and permanent blindness.
In Zambia, 33 districts, home to more than 3.6 million people, need support in the final stages of their journey to eliminate trachoma. The Zambian government are leading the fight to eliminate the disease as a public health problem, with the support of organisations like Sightsavers and other partners.
Walter Panzirer, Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust said: “Sightsavers is in a position to help make history by supporting Zambia to eliminate trachoma and already has a strong track record in this area, having worked with governments to successfully eliminate trachoma in Ghana, Gambia, Malawi, Benin and Mali. We hope that Helmsley funding can fuel momentum towards Zambia eliminating this horrific disease.
Caroline Harper, Chief Executive for Sightsavers, said: “People describe the pain of trachoma as like having sand or thorns in their eyes. It can stop them from earning a living, farming, cooking, caring for their family or going to school. We’re excited that Helmsley Charitable Trust’s generous donation can help us to transform so many lives.”
Sightsavers has more than 70 years’ experience working with governments in more than 30 countries to control and eliminate NTDs. To date, they have supported ministries of health to deliver over 1.7 billion NTD treatments.
At the Reaching the Last Mile Forum, Sightsavers pledged a further $60m towards eliminating trachoma, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and intestinal worms in countries across Africa.
Helmsley stands behind efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, and schistosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa as part of its efforts to improve health, infrastructure, and economic development in rural communities. This grant reflects Helmsley’s broader support for resilient global health systems and investments in better healthcare that span all six of their program areas, highlighting their commitment to helping people live safer, better, and more fulfilling lives today while funding advancements in research and technology for a better tomorrow.
——————-
About The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust:
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $4 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. For more information on Helmsley and its programs, visit helmsleytrust.org.
About Sightsavers:
1. Sightsavers is an international organisation that works in more than 30 low- and middle-income countries to end avoidable blindness, treat and eliminate neglected tropical diseases, and promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities. Sightsavers vision is of a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes and where people with disabilities can participate equally in society. Sightsavers, Inc is an American 501©(3) non-profit organization, EIN 47-4657747.
2. Globally 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment and of these, at least 1 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness that could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. This burden weighs more heavily on poorer countries, and on marginalised communities. And projections show that global demand for eye care is set to surge in the coming years.
3. In the seven decades since its foundation, Sightsavers has:
– Supported more than 1.7 BILLION treatments for neglected tropical diseases
– Carried out more than 8.7 million cataract operations to restore sight
– Carried out more than 216 million eye examinations
– Dispensed more than 6.1 million glasses
– Supported more than 190 thousand children with disabilities and visual impairment to attend school each year
4. Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a set of 20 infectious diseases which affect more than 1 billion people in the most marginalised communities in the world. These conditions can cause excruciating pain and even kill, as well as reduce people’s social and economic chances.
5. Sightsavers holds Independent Research Organisation (IRO) status, making them one of the only international non-governmental organisations to hold this status in the UK. Sightsavers conducts high quality research to address global gaps in knowledge and put research findings into practice by feeding them back into the design of programmes.
For more information, please visit www.sightsavers.org
