“I find joy in being able to help those in my village stay safe and well”
Baraka Ango is a local volunteer in Kudaru, Nigeria. Since 2011, she has been distributing medication to prevent avoidable blindness in her village.
“I am trained to provide treatment to my local village for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), which cause avoidable blindness, and educate them on ways to avoid spread of these infections,” Baraka explains. Watch the video below to hear more of her story.
Preventing and treating river blindness
“We work in pairs: one of our main roles is to go from house to house, issuing drugs to our community that prevent the spread of NTDs,” Baraka says. “We also teach people to wash their hands and ensure they keep their environment clean.
“River blindness is one of these NTDs that leads to avoidable blindness and it has affected many people in my community in the past. River blindness is spread through the bite of the black flies, which live near fast-flowing rivers. I want to help prevent river blindness from further affecting my community.
“Everywhere I go, people recognise me and understand that I’m there to help.”
Through the determination of volunteers like Baraka, more and more children and adults will be screened and treated for neglected tropical diseases across the world.
“We each have a part to play in helping to eliminate painful and poverty-trapping NTDs,” Baraka says. “Together we can enhance the health, quality of life and future wellbeing of millions of people.”
“It is so important to protect our people from river blindness and to protect the future generations of our village.”
