On 05 December 2008, the Carter Center announced a new commitment of $40 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and $15 million Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) to push to end Guinea worm disease. The grant from the Gates Foundation is the largest challenge grant in Carter Center history. It includes an outright contribution of $8 million and encourages other donor organizations and individuals to provide an additional $32 million, which the Gates Foundation will match one-to-one. The successful completion of the challenge will raise $72 million to finish Guinea worm eradication.
DFID pledged £10 million (approximately US$15 million) to support the Guinea worm eradication campaign, and its support will be matched by the Gates Foundation. Both the Gates Foundation and DFID grants will be shared between the Center and the World Health Organization (WHO).
[...]“The drive to eradicate Guinea worm disease is one of the world’s most impressive global health success stories,” said Dr. Regina Rabinovich, director of infectious diseases development at the Gates Foundation. “Using simple inexpensive tools, The Carter Center and its partners have spared millions of people from the suffering caused by this disease.”
Guinea worm eradication is considered one of the most cost-effective public health efforts due to its relatively simple intervention measures, such as health education, free cloth filter distribution, and BASF-donated ABATE® larvicide applications. [Since 1986], the Guinea worm eradication campaign has raised and invested an estimated $225 million in African communities.
Carter Center Photo: Gary Chapman. Jimmy Carter announces $55 million commitment from Gates Foundation and DFID for eradication of Guinea worm
Source: Carter Center, 05 Dec 2008
