Project Description
The End Fund
Mission
The End Fund’s mission is to control and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) like river blindness, trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and intestinal worms in developing countries in Africa and Asia.
Headquarters
New York, United States
Operating region
The End operates in African countries including Angola, Burundi, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe and also in the Western Asian country Yemen
Supported causes
The End Fund fights five of the most prevalent NTDs:
- Intestinal worms
- Trachoma
- River blindness
- Schistosomiasis
- Lymphatic filariasis
Grants/award programs
The fund works with non-governmental organizations and government partners on the ground. They follow a ten step implementation model tailored to local needs in order to catalyse results, make optimal use of resources, train health professionals and mobilize the medical treatment at minimal costs. The ten steps involve:
- Securing funding by identifying partners
- Planning the project by engaging partners and experts
- Collecting baseline data to map the disease prevalence
- Defining the target populations and formalizing strategy
- Working with health ministries to secure the supply of pharmaceutical donations
- Training health personnel
- Promoting the program by preparing target populations through education, door-to-door visits, printed material and media promotions
- Mobilizing and applying treatment
- Monitoring and evaluating the program by collecting and analysing data and making required adjustments based on findings
- Scaling health, education and prevention programs to national level
Funded Organizations/Projects
- The Angola Project – started in 2013 in partnership with the MENTOR Initiative. The project involves NTD treatment, water sanitation and education initiatives and is planned for a period of five years.
- The Burundi Project – launched in 2012 in collaboration with the Legatum Foundation. The project is aimed at reducing trachoma, schistosomiasis and hookworm in the country.
- The Ethiopia Project – run together with The Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative. Through the project over 130,000 people were tested and those with positive results were referred to healthcare facilities for treatment.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo Project required extensive training for health workers as well as social mobilization and the development of a comprehensive treatment strategy for lymphatic filariasis. The project’s goal is that more than 17 million people will be treated for river blindness and/or lymphatic filariasis.
- The Côte D’Ivoire Project – launched in 2014 with the goal of treating 10 million individuals for river blindness. The End Fund has made the commitment to support treatment in 55 districts.
Foundation’s History
In 2007 Geneva Global launched a project with the aim of addressing NTDs in Burundi and Rwanda. The results of the project were significant and prompted Geneva Global to scale the program throughout the continent. The result of this was a pooled philanthropic fund named The End Fund. Officially launched in 2012, the organization employed a CEO and started operations that included back-office support, program management and fundraising.