Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In November 2014 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded a five-year grant (2014-2019) of nearly US$5 million to Sightsavers (and The Task Force for Global Health, acting as a sub-grantee), to run a support centre for Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Uniting to Combat NTDs is a collective of invested, interested and dedicated partners that work together to meet the 2020 goals of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 10 neglected tropical diseases, as set out in the London Declaration. The work of the collective complements WHO’s collaboration with endemic countries and builds on the work of several disease-specific partnerships.
The primary function of the support centre is to assist the key stakeholder groups with coordination, communication, reporting, advocacy and logistics for meetings. This includes supporting the production of an annual scorecard and report on progress; facilitating the business of the stakeholders’ working group; supporting the four working groups of Uniting to Combat NTDs; maintaining the visibility and effectiveness of the collective’s work; and promoting its advocacy and resource efforts.
More about our work
to eliminate NTDs
Thousands of people in Africa get sight-saving surgery
In three years, Sightsavers’ Accelerate programme has supported governments in 12 countries to provide eye surgery to 37,000 people.
Is data integration the answer to eliminating trachoma in Ethiopia?
Biruck Kebede, who leads Sightsavers’ NTD work in Ethiopia, explains how data can help to eliminate diseases such as trachoma.
Accelerate: the story of 2020
The Accelerate programme has reached the end of a year like no other. Through a global pandemic, we’ve innovated and adapted our trachoma work to keep on track.
November updates: highlights from around the world
Following rigorous safety measures, we have been able to restart our work fighting disease and saving sight all over the world.
Trachoma treatments resume in Nigeria after COVID-19 lockdown
Nigeria is the first Sightsavers-supported country to resume treatments for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) since April due to COVID-19.
Q&A with Sarah Boyd: how we are moving Tropical Data forward through COVID-19
We speak to Tropical Data’s data analyst, Sarah Boyd, to find out what she and the team have been working on while travel hasn’t been possible and many of us have been advised to stay at home.
With your help, we can change lives worldwide
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