Delivering evidence-based deworming treatments to millions of children across Somalia.
We partnered with the END Fund to support deworming treatment and disease monitoring for millions of children at risk in Somalia.
Grant Description
We are partnering with the END Fund in its ongoing work with the Ministry of Health in Somalia to address intestinal worms and schistosomiasis, two neglected tropical diseases associated with poor nutrition and health outcomes in children.
In Somalia, an estimated 7 million children are at risk of these infections. Deworming is an evidence-based public health intervention, with treatment costs averaging $0.20 per person annually in Somalia. Since 2016, the END Fund has supported the Ministry of Health in delivering 15 million deworming treatments nationwide. This grant will contribute to continued disease mapping, treatment, and monitoring in Somalia.
Deworming is designated a "best buy" in public health by J-PAL. Peer-reviewed research finds that treated children are 25% less absent from school, with long-run effects on education and earnings. Every dollar invested in deworming is estimated to generate $27 in economic benefit.
This grant was selected based on the strength of the evidence that deworming improves child health and education outcomes, the expected cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and the END Fund’s established partnership with Somalia’s Ministry of Health to deliver deworming at scale.
This grant aims to reach 3.6 million children over three years. Because treatment breaks the cycle of transmission, the benefits of this intervention extend beyond those directly treated to the wider community.