Protecting a Community from Onchocerciasis with Preventive Medication
When Patrice Messolo was a boy, his grandfather and uncle became very sick. They both lost their vision and developed skin lesions on their legs due to what Patrice would later learn was onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. Without treatment, this neglected tropical disease can cause disfiguring skin conditions and permanent blindness. Seeing what […]
Speaking Technically: Dr. Al Sommer on the Surprising Discovery of Vitamin A
In the 1970s, experts from Helen Keller Intl spearheaded research on vitamin A that has helped save millions of lives and shaped the organization’s work for decades. Dr. Al Sommer, now Professor and Dean Emeritus of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, led one of the studies that resulted in a groundbreaking discovery […]
Building Upon Our Legacy of Health, Nutrition, and Vision
Over the past several decades, Helen Keller Intl has continued to expand our ability to help people around the world create lasting change in their own lives. Today, we reach more than 70 million children and family members across 20 countries with the essential building blocks of sound health, good nutrition, and clear vision. We […]
How Partnership Led to Eliminating an Endemic Blinding Disease in Mali
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced Mali as the 17th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. This is a milestone more than two decades in the making. Trachoma was once pervasive in nearly every region of the country, putting nearly 10 million people at risk of blindness. Eliminating such a […]
Helen Keller Intl joins Partners at the Reaching Last Mile Forum in Commitment to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases
Our co-founder Helen Keller’s words “alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” continue to guide and inspire our mission. Together, partners across the world have made tremendous progress in tackling debilitating, neglected diseases, but too often, young children have been left behind. Children are at the heart of Helen Keller […]
Cultivating Economic Security through Farming in Nepal
In Nepal’s remote, mountainous Taplejung district, Pemba Doma Sherpa harvests vegetables from her fields on a steep hillside. She sells her produce at the local market twice a week, providing enough money to support her family and send her two daughters to private school. However, Pemba’s finances weren’t always so secure. She used to work […]
Clear Vision Brings True Potential into Focus
Living with childhood cataracts meant that 10-year-old Ulrich Amassoga had never experienced clear vision before. He had difficulty in school and dealt with bullying from classmates because of his condition. Two years ago, Helen Keller began providing vision screenings in schools in Cameroon in partnership with USAID’s Child Blindness program, the Ministry of Public Health, […]
Helping People See True Potential
Impaired vision can cause long-lasting challenges for children and adults throughout their lives. In childhood, poor vision will make it more difficult for a student to fully engage in the classroom and with her peers, putting her education at risk. This can start a downward spiral, especially for a child already experiencing poverty. As she […]
Supporting Children’s Health with Vitamin A in Senegal
In the Saint Louis region of Senegal, almost half the population lives on less than $2 a day. The high rates of poverty also mean that many children lack access to nutritious food, and vitamin A deficiency is extremely high. This important micronutrient is crucial for strengthening vision, building immune systems to fight illness, and […]
Empowering Mothers to Lead Nutrition in Myanmar
In Myanmar, a quarter of the population lives on less than $1 a day, putting them at risk for malnutrition. COVID-19 and the ongoing humanitarian crisis continue to increase obstacles to health and nutrition. In just a year, the number of people facing food shortages has gone from 800,000 to 13 million. As this number […]
