Trachoma Eliminated as a Public Health Problem in Mali

Eyecare professional examining woman's eye for trachoma in outdoor rural setting.The World Health Organization announced the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Mali.  Though not the first country to eliminate trachoma, this milestone is particularly extraordinary due to the scale of the disease. A 1996 survey found[...]

Koinadugu Women Fight Hidden Hunger through Farming

Woman holding a two sweet potatoes outside with lush green trees in backgroundOn a frosty Sunday morning, a group of farmers wearing brightly colored African waist scarves, called lappas, gather together in front of Haja Conteh’s house in the Koinadugu district of Sierra Leone. The all-women farmers group, called “Denkola Two[...]

Making meaningful change in Cambodia’s health systems

Little girl in pigtails holds a large piece of bread in her hand while looking at the camera outside in rural setting.Cambodia has some of the highest rates of malnutrition in Southeast Asia, and over the past decade, Helen Keller Intl has been driving sweeping improvements in nutrition for mothers, infants, and young children.   “Finding better ways to address[...]

From Vitamin A Skeptic to True Believer 

Family portrait of father, mother, and young boy sitting outside with a plain wall in the background.Four-year-old Abdoul Aziz Coulibaly was always sick, until his family discovered vitamin A. Abdoul is the youngest of four siblings living with their parents in a small village called Massala in south-central Mali. Though the family has limited financial[...]

Kindergartener’s worldview changes thanks to new eyeglasses 

Close up of hands holding a pair of prescription eyeglasses above a tray filled with various frames.When Prince, a new kindergarten student, entered P.S. 152 in Brooklyn, New York, he spoke Creole exclusively.   He wasn’t able to identify numbers, letters, or count past four. Our teachers were trying absolutely everything they could. Whitney[...]

Taking Action to Combat Hunger 

Child is being measured with a colored mid-upper arm circumference tape to detect malnutrition.In just three years, the ravages of COVID-19 reversed decades of progress in the fight against malnutrition. Compounded by the damaging effects of climate change and armed conflicts, most notably in Ukraine, this crisis fuels increased threats of famine in[...]

Wonderful to be Back Home

Man in blue shirt holding baby and interacting with two women each holding a child in a medical or community setting.My last day in the Helen Keller Intl regional office in Dakar, Senegal, as Vice President for our Africa programs, was July 31, 2013. It was a bittersweet moment: I left behind work I love, a wonderful team, and had great anxiety about leaving Africa, where I[...]

Breaking the prevalence of poverty-related diseases in Cameroon

Two Helen Keller staff wearing vests speak with an elderly man with a swollen leg sitting on a stool outside a weathered rural house.When Helen Keller health workers visited Biaback Guiliagne’s home in a rural Cameroon village, he was surprised at first, but quickly warmed up when he realized the visitors could help relieve some of his pain. For more than 30 years, Biaback had been[...]

Building resilience against climate disasters in Bangladesh 

Woman tending to compost bin beside flooded fields.Hosne Begum was living in extreme poverty as her husband struggled to support their family of five in remote Bangladesh. Her husband, who was working as a day laborer, was the sole earning member of the five-member family, but his income varied greatly[...]