‘Must Reach': Integrating Gender Equity and Social Inclusion to Eliminate NTDs

In order to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), we must ensure access and uptake of NTD medicines for every individual at risk for these diseases. This includes reaching people, communities, and demographic groups that are historically untreated, often due to gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, disability, and geography.

USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East (Act | East) program is supporting governments to discover how gender, equity, and social inclusion (GESI) factors impact their NTD programs and prevent them from eliminating disease. Equipped with these insights, Haiti, Uganda, and Tanzania, with the support of Act | East and other NTD stakeholders, designed and implemented GESI-focused behavior change activities to improve treatment coverage and interrupt persistent NTD transmission.

In this webinar, participants learned how Haiti, Tanzania, and Uganda implemented game-changing community-led behavior change activities and improved access, acceptance, and uptake of mass drug administration among 'must reach’ groups.