Catch the latest episode of popular TV show Qalby Etma’an, which turns the spotlight on the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and the stories of the families affected by them.
Join host Ghaith Al Emirati as he journeys to a village in Senegal to see first-hand the suffering caused by NTDs in developing communities – and learns how a UAE-led fund is working to consign two of these diseases to the history books.
The episode captures the stories of local residents afflicted with lymphatic filariasis, a mosquito-borne NTD that causes irreversible swelling of parts of the body, leading to permanent disability and disfigurement.
From a young baker unable to continue working due to the effects of lymphatic filariasis, to a father reliant on his children for food and necessities, the episode documents the daily struggles faced by sufferers and their families – and shares how the UAE’s Reaching the Last Mile Fund is helping drive the fight to end these diseases for good.
The Reach Campaign is an initiative to end river blindness and lymphatic filariasis. Over 200 million people worldwide require treatment for river blindness while 850 million people are at risk of lymphatic filariasis. Like many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), river blindness and lymphatic filariasis disproportionately affect the world’s most vulnerable people, trapping their families in cycles of poverty.
Proceeds from the campaign will go to the Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF). Administered by the END Fund, RLMF delivers prevention and treatment across 7 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Together we can help end river blindness and lymphatic filariasis and ensure a brighter future for millions.
River blindness is a preventable parasitic disease transmitted by black flies. It causes severe itching, disfiguring skin conditions and if left untreated, irreversible blindness.
Lymphatic filariasis is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is caused by parasitic worms and which damages the human lymph system, causing severe and extensive swelling of the lower limbs.
The Reaching the Last Mile Fund delivers prevention and treatment for river blindness across 7 countries in Africa and the Middle East
