News RSS - Helen Keller Internationl

NTDs and WASH Programs

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

How NTD programs can work with WASH programs for common goal of improved public health
By Chad MacArthur, Helen Keller International

There is no question that mass drug administration (MDA) has had an enormous impact on disease burden but it needs to be recognized that these diseases are public health problems and our response to them needs to be through public health interventions that are beyond just preventive chemotherapy (PC). These diseases must be dealt with within a broader socio-economic development context. One of the key elements that will sustain the gains made by MDA for trachoma, soil transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis is the increased access to safe water, improved sanitation and the promotion of hygiene; commonly referred to as WASH. Integrating WASH with PC and promoting the behaviors that accompany WASH allows for a comprehensive control strategy such as trachoma has promoted for a number of years through the SAFE strategy.

Reduction in child mortality in Niger

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Agbessi Amouzou and colleagues1 provide a vital contribution in analysing the remarkable progress in reduction of child mortality in Niger. However, best available data have not been used in reporting the history of campaign approaches and coverage of vitamin A supplementation (VAS). The contribution of high, twice-yearly VAS coverage—one of Niger's signature child survival achievements—to this dramatic reduction in child deaths is therefore likely to be a major underestimate.

National Policy Dialogue

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 05:00:00 +0000

“Policy on Inclusive Education Implementation”

Agreement in Planning and Activity Implementation for Inclusive Education in Indonesia

Jakarta, 27 December 2012 – Helen Keller International (HKI) Indonesia supported by United States Agency International Development (USAID), and in cooperation with the Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture conducted a public discussion on the plan and activity implementation for inclusive education system in Indonesia. The plan and activity that will be implemented was a result on gap analysis research completed by HKI Indonesia at the end of 2011.

Free Eye Glasses Distributed to School Children with Difficulty in Ha Dong

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Ha Dong district, Hanoi, Vietnam – Learning just got a whole lot easier for 174 students in Ha Dong District today, as they received new eyeglasses as part of ChildSight®, a school based vision care program of Helen Keller International Vietnam (HKI-VN). Funded by the Starr Foundation, the program is implemented by HKI Vietnam in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Health and Hanoi Department of Education and Training

“We hope that these eyeglasses help you to see more clearly, learn much easier and enjoy life better” Pham Kim Ngoc, HKI’s Country Representative told students and teachers from Le Loi and Duong Noi secondary schools. “The project is also working hand-in-hand with local authorities to address gaps in the eye health system in Ha Dong and contribute to a strong, sustainable system of eyesight care for children.”

To date, over 4,700 out of 6,000 secondary students in the pilot program in Ha Dong have received eye care services with around 700 pairs of eyeglasses planned to be provided to students who need them.

10,000 School Children in Kon Tum Province Receive Free Eyeglasses

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Kon Tum, Vietnam – More than 10,000 primary and secondary school students in Kon Tum Province have been screened for vision problems with more than 800 of them receiving eyeglasses thanks to ChildSight®, an eye care project that improves the vision of children in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam.

Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Helen Keller International and the Kon Tum provincial departments of Health and Education and Training, the pediatric eye health care project also trained nearly 300 teachers and health workers from 100 primary and secondary schools on screening skills. Each school was equipped with a screening toolkit, and the trained teachers checked their students for refractive errors at the beginning of a new school year.

SAFE strategy for blinding trachoma addresses sanitation, the other half of MDG7

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 04:00:00 +0000

HKI's Chad MacArthur contributes to a letter to the editor about the need for an integrated approach to eliminate trachoma.

"The trachoma community has long been concerned that the approach to NTDs has focused on drug distribution, and not a comprehensive control package that treats these diseases as the public health problems they are. For example, improvement of water, sanitation, and hygiene is an integral part of the SAFE strategy (Surgery, Antibiotics, Facial cleanliness, Environmental improvements) for the elimination of blinding trachoma. The “E” component of the SAFE strategy addresses the link between sanitation and trachoma: building of latrines reduces contact between the trachoma vector Musca sorbens and eyes."

A Change Sweeps Across West Africa

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Dakar, Senegal – The West African countries of Togo, Benin and Niger have all recently followed in the footsteps of their neighbors - Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal – and passed legislation that requires mandatory fortification of staple foods. Six of the eight West African Economic and Monetary Union (also known by its French acronym, UEMOA) member countries are now providing essential micronutrients to their citizens because of mandatory fortification.

Five years ago, Helen Keller International (HKI) embarked on the Fortify West Africa initiative to bring fortified cooking oil and wheat flour to all UEMOA countries. The recent successes in Togo, Benin, and Niger bring the region closer to the goal of reaching at least 70% of the population with essential micronutrients from fortified cooking oil and wheat flour.

Eyeglass Distribution Changing Lives in Vietnam

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Kon Tum, Vietnam – Learning got a whole lot easier for 94 students in Dak To District when they received new eyeglasses from ChildSight®, a program that improves the vision of children in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam and strengthens the ability of health personnel to provide pediatric eye care services.

Uncorrected refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) can lead to visual impairment, blindness and disability, especially in developing countries. It is estimated that one in five Vietnamese children suffers from refractive error, yet the vast majority remain undiagnosed and untreated. Left untreated, refractive error can worsen and may lead to blindness and irreversible vision loss, particularly in young children.

To remedy this, school children in primary and secondary schools are screened by trained teachers. Those who do not pass the visual acuity examination are tested by specialists from the Community Eye Unit at the Kon Tum Center for Social Diseases Prevention and Control. Students determined to have refractive errors receive free eyeglasses.

“My eyesight was blurry and I could hardly see anything when I looked at the blackboard,” said Tran Van Sang, a ninth grader at Nguyen Cong Tru Secondary School in Kon Tum Province. “Thanks to the program, doctors came to my school and checked my eyes. I received eyeglasses for free and now I can see everything clearly!”

Taiwan donates to help Burkina Faso school children

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

A press conference in New York City highlighted The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office's recent $230,000 donation to Helen Keller International to help school children in Burkina Faso.

"Including the recent donation, Taiwan has given a total of $1.8 million to the organization's school program in Burkina Faso since 2004, said Kathy Spahn, president of Helen Keller International (HKI)."

Local man envisions eliminating vitamin A deficiency

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

A profile on Wes Stoody, founder of Aframes Eyewear. The company has partnered with Helen Keller International and will donate 5 percent of all revenue to help HKI distribute vitamin A supplements.

Stoody first learned about the dire consequences of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) as a student at Eastern Michigan University, and decided he wanted to start a cause-driven eyewear company to raise money to help with VAD.