Expanded Special Project for Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ESPEN)

Cameroon, Comoros, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Congo, DR, Congo Republic, Somalia

The overall objective of this project was to ensure countries and their national NTD programs have the training, expertise, tools, and resources they need to eliminate the five highest-burden NTDs (Onchocerciasis, Schistosomiasis, Trachoma, Lymphatic Filariasis, and Soil-transmitted Helminths) in 7 African countries. The project supported national NTD programmes in their efforts to reach every community and individual in need of treatment; and make in-country NTD programmes more effective and sustainable by identifying investment targets needed to achieve the goals and how to secure funding opportunities; It improved utilization of donated medicines and better supply chain management contributing to strengthening health systems. The project strengthened the capacity of countries to collect, analyse, share and use data effectively; and ensureed countries lead the activities that are supported and that they are able to lobby among their partners and governments for joint investments and continued future support through supporting countries to conduct impact assessments, preparation of dossiers to achieve WHO validation/verification. In support of this effort, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) co-hosted a Donors’ meeting in Kuwait on October 23 and 24, 2017, to which OFID was invited. On this occasion, the WHO indicated that ESPEN needed an additional US$ 125 million for the period 2018-2020 in order to deliver 225 million treatments and improve the management of donated medicines, and called on donors to support this initiative. The present proposal covers these activities. The Project will build on the success and lessons of the WHO’s highly successful NTD control partnership, the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC). While ESPEN is targeting 47 African countries, with priority to those that are most in need, the activities covered by the current proposal will focus on seven priority countries including Comoros, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Republic of Congo, DRC, and Somalia.