Students today are increasingly interested in global health, not only from an academic standpoint, but also a social and moral responsibility standpoint. As such, many students are looking for ways to make a difference. One way in which students can have a significant impact is by contributing to the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). By becoming involved with organizations that strive to eradicate NTDs students can help improve the lives of over 1 billion people affected across the world.
NTDs are a wide variety of diseases that largely afflict the world’s poorest populations, affecting children’s nutritional status, school attendance, and physical and cognitive development, among other debilitating factors. Thus, NTDs make upward socioeconomic mobility nearly impossible and perpetuate a cycle of poverty. Today, almost 1.8 billion people, including over 800 million children, are affected by NTDs. The World Health Organization classifies 17 diseases as NTDs and has created an ambitious but achievable roadmap toward their elimination and eradication. Although it may seem like a big task, these goals are achievable with proper funding, cooperation and commitment from policymakers in both donor and endemic countries.
Important steps have already been taken. Many endemic countries have pledged their support to the Addis Ababa NTD Commitment, promising to increase domestic investment and adopt data-driven, long-term strategic plans to ensure the efficacy of NTD programs and health systems. However, a great deal more still needs to be done. A common source of frustration is the belief that only elected officials have the power to make a meaningful difference in improving the health care of those overseas. Unfortunately, in the face of a global economic crisis, it can be easy for policymakers to make the “neglected” part of “neglected tropical diseases” a little too true in their financial decisions. As Dr. Neeraj Mistry, managing director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, states, “in a time of resource scarcity, our collective commitment to the world’s poorest communities should not wane.”
Even college students have the ability to make a lasting impact. Most simply, they can call or send letters to their senators and representatives urging them to prioritize NTDs and support global health initiatives like USAID’s NTDs Program. This successful program has provided over 1 billion treatments for people suffering from NTDs in 25 countries. The 2016 fiscal year budget request by President Obama suggests cutting funding for this program by $13.5 million from its existing $100 million budget, which is only about 1 percent of the entire U.S. global health budget. Many advocates, including college students, have had previous success asking Congress not to approve such funding cuts. This year, they are asking Congress via emails, letters, phone calls and social media to increase the USAID NTD budget to $125 million.
Students can also make a difference by contributing to the work of a lab, studying NTDs, or volunteering for an organization that takes action to eliminate NTDs. End 7, an organization dedicated to the eradication of the 7 most common NTDs by 2020, is one example of an organization that offers students many ways to make an impact. Currently, students can apply for leadership positions on campus.
Regardless of how students choose to get involved, it is important that they realize their voice can make a difference in raising awareness of these diseases. Grassroots student efforts, no matter how small, add to the global momentum to eradicate NTDs and improve the lives of 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty.
Mariam Hussain is an intern for the Disease and Poverty Program at Rice University’s Baker Institute and the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. She is a senior at Rice University majoring in kinesiology.