Curing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) & Breaking the Poverty Cycle
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FIELD PROJECTS
Press on locations for more details about each project.
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Awassa
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Jijiga
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Bardo
Inter-Sectoral Coordination for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases
Amhara, SNNP, Oromia, Somali, Afar and Tigray Regions; 2021 - Current
Partners: FMoH, END-Fund, Sightsavers
Description:
This project aims to mobilize WASH and NTD actors to work together towards breaking the transmission of NTDs in Ethiopia, through supporting the FMoH scale-up of WASH-NTD coordination in all regions and at all administrative levels. The interventions consist of intensive training in WASH-NTD priority zones, alongside partner support, tool development and a government exchange program.
NALA has been working since 2016 with the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health to increase inter-sectoral coordination on a national scale. This has included the development of a national framework, the launch of a district-level WASH-NTD Coordination toolkit, high-level events for integrating WASH-NTD Coordination by government and NGO partners and the creation of an online training course.
Accelerate: Strengthening Capacity to Promote F&E Behaviour Change in Support of NTD Elimination and Control Programs.
South Region; 2021 - current
Partners: SNNP Regional Health Bureau, Sightsavers
Description: The FMoH has identified a range of behaviour change interventions that can be delivered to promote healthy hygiene and sanitation practices in 31 woredas endemic to trachoma and termed ‘hot spots’ for NTDs. The interventions aim to increase knowledge and improve healthy hygiene practices, strengthen the local capacity for NTD control, and empower women through enhanced facial cleanliness. These interventions are designed to utilize Ethiopia’s health, education and WASH sector platforms to strengthen zonal, regional and federal capacity for encouraging and sustaining healthy hygiene and sanitation.
NALA has been invited to provide technical assistance to the National NTD Control Program, as well as coordination support to regional-level governments. Additionally, NALA will embed monitoring and learning into the program to quantify the success of interventions and make adjustments as necessary.
Intense Community Engagement and Education for Elimination of Schistosomiasis and other NTDs as
Public Health Problems
Bench Maji; 2018-current
Partners: FMoH, Merck
Description: As part of the new partnership between NALA, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health, and Merck, NALA launched a new project in one of the most high-need regions in Ethiopia and develop best practices to be rolled out nationally. Bench Maji is considered one of Ethiopia’s toughest disease hot spots with all districts in the zone being endemic for schistosomiasis, STH, trachoma and onchoceraisis. This hot spot will serve as a pilot site for implementing effective educational approaches and interventions that promote behavioral change within the community. The best practices will then be scaled up to the entire country.
Super School of 5: Hand and Face Washing Behaviour Change Demonstration Program in Ethiopia
Amhara and Tigray Regions; 2019-2021
Partners: Federal Ministry of Education, Regional Bureaus of Education, Regional PDUs, Sightsavers, Unilever and Big Win Philanthropy
Description: This project aimed to contribute to the Ministry of Education’s Seqota Decleration objective to improve the health and nutrition of school aged children. The program adapted a pre-tested model of intervention, in schools in Ethiopia with the goal of increasing hygiene behaviours in schools, specifically the practise of hand and face washing with soap through the behaviour change steps of awareness, commitment, reinforcement and reward or recognition. The program used interactive and engaging tools to encourage positive hygiene practices in schools and communities.
Technical Assistance to the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health and to DFID Funded Trachoma Partners
Country-wide; 2016-2019
Partners: FMoH, Sightsavers, Orbis, the Carter Center, Fred Hollows Foundation, Light for the World, Synergy Habesha Films and Communications
Description: NALA is providing technical support to the ministry's 2016-2020 national NTD eradication program, as behavioral change and WASH experts. The objectives are to develop and roll out behavioral change approaches for disease elimination, enhance coordination with WASH partners and other stakeholders, and support monitoring and evaluation of progress of behavioral change and WASH intervention.
As part of this mission, NALA-JDC team is working with the British organization Sightsavers that manages the implementation of 4 DFID funded NGOs working in Ethiopia to eradicate trachoma. NALA is coordinating interventions, face washing, and healthy hygiene and sanitation behavior change by the implementing NGOs, with the goal of testing and implementing best practices.
Bring Bilharzia to Zero
Adwa; 2015-current
Partners: OSSHD, Adwa Health and Education bureaus, the Tigray Regional Health Bureau and the Federal Ministry of Health
Description: Adwa is famous for research of local natural medicine for Schistosomiasis called Endod by Prof. Aklilu Lemma. The town has one of the highest disease rates in the state of Tigray. The program was initiated as the location of a Grand Challenges Explorations grant pilot sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The local parent-teacher association played a pivotal role in enrolling the overall community for the process. The project enrolled different community groups including college students, women’s network, and school faculty and school children leaders.
Results: 60% reduction in NTD disease prevalence within the first year from 27% of the school children suffering from intestinal parasites to 9.7%.
Health Education for Early Childhood for Trachoma Prevention
Tigray Region; 2017-2019
Partners: FMoH, Early Starters, Light for the World
Description: Early Starters is an NGO that specializes in early childhood education and has extensive experience in training community members, developing age-appropriate materials, and creating child friendly environments. They provided support to NALA by developing a special curriculum for kindergarten and 1st grade students that used the cartoon character “Toto” to teach about trachoma prevention. The students formed an emotional connection to Toto, who would always say and do the wrong things. The students would have to correct Toto, learning proper hygiene by teaching him the correct behaviors to prevent disease.
Deworming Gorche
Gorche, Sidama Zone, SNNPR Region; 2012-2013
Partners: CHAI (Clinton Health Access Initiatives)
Description: The town of Gorche is included in the CHAI Millennium Rural initiative that aims to strengthen health care in rural communities. The Gorche community, leadership members and authorities were highly active and committed to the project.
Results: By the end of this one year project, 10,000 children aged 5-15 were dewormed.
Pilot on the Impact of Deworming with People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHIV)
Jijiga (Somali), Dire-Dawa, Assosa (Benishangul Gumuz), Bahir-Dar (Amhara), Adama (Oromiya), Mekelle (Tigray); 2012-2013
Partners: UNWFP, OSSHD,
Description: This project complemented the WFP Nutritional Supplement Program for PLWHIV, with a comprehensive de-worming program. For this project, NALA developed specific training and education materials, and translated them into local languages: Amharic, Tigrigna, Oromifa, Somalinga and Afarigna.
Results: Patients that participated in the pilot showed a positive BMI and CD4 cell count results. This project generated evidence on the positive impact that control of NTDs in PLWHIV can have on their immune system and clinical condition, and most importantly their response to antiretroviral treatment.
Rural Community Engagement for Public Health
Dembia; 2015-2019
Partners: JDC, Project Ten
Description: NALA was approached by the JDC that builds wells and WASH infrastructure in rural villages in Dembia to pilot an intervention that supports the process by providing community engagement and monitoring the impact of WASH infrastructure on community health.
Dembia wereda is a densely populated wereda with 270,000 inhabitants, predominantly rural. The wereda is considered a high risk hotspot due to weather related shocks. About 35% of the households obtain drinking water primarily from rivers and 51% from communal taps.
Results: the follow-up survey, conducted one year later, showed that 87% of school aged children within the selected communities suffered from intestinal parasites, the closing survey has showed a substantial reduction in disease prevalence to 46%.
Deworming Mekelle
Mekelle; 2009-2014
Partners: OSSHD, Municipality of Mekelle, Mekelle Health and Education bureaus, the Tigray Regional Health Bureau and the Federal Ministry of Health, CNHDE, MASHAV
Description: Mekelle, the capital of Tigray is a city of more than 250,000 people. In 2009, the Mekelle University mapped the disease prevalence in Mekelle at over 60% with over 40% suffering from Schistosomiais.
The NALA model in Mekelle included: repeated mass drug administration, accompanied with intensive health education program in the schools and community and investment in water and sanitation infrastructure to enable behavioral change.
Results: Sequential evaluations conducted in Mekelle, have demonstrated a dramatic reduction and sustained low prevalence levels of intestinal worms and Schistosomiasis at less than 5 percent in 2012, and at less than 2% in the last survey carried out by the Federal Ministry of Health in 2014. Mekelle was proudly declared - the first Ethiopian city to become Bilharzia free.
Deworming Tigray
The state of Tigray; 2012-2015
Partners: OSSHD, SCI, Tigray Regional Health Bureau (TRHB)
Description: This partnership was aimed at implementing comprehensive control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the State of Tigray and instituting regular mass drug administration campaigns that will transition management by the health bureau at a later stage. TOT (Training of Trainers) were held in each site prior to the MDAs and, where possible, Health Education awareness activities accompanied the drug distribution process. Special public awareness materials and games were developed to support the drug administration campaign.
Results: Over 750,000 beneficiaries, mainly school children, were involved in this massive intervention in Tigray state.
Proof of Concept- Initial Pilots with Local Ethiopian NGOs
Addis Ababa, Zeway, Mekelle; 2009-2010
Partners: AJWS, MEKDIM, RCWDA, ASC
Description: The NALA NTD programs in Ethiopia were initiated with three pilot programs together with three different local NGOs and with the support of the local Ethiopian authorities. The pilot focused on empowering local institutions and NGOs to train their target audience on methods of disease prevention, and to treat the disease in the community. The pilot included complementary construction of water services and latrines in Mekelle.
Results: About 30,000 people, in Addis Ababa, Zewey and Mekelle, benefited from the pilot intervention phase in Ethiopia.