Ascend: Lessons from the programme in West and Central Africa

Sightsavers and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) are bringing together experts from across the Ascend West and Central Africa programme to share learnings at an online event on 6 October 2022.

The Ascend programme was UK Aid’s flagship initiative to tackle five neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in 13 countries. This large-scale programme delivered some outstanding achievements during its lifespan, such as unlocking over £653 million worth of additional resources – more than 12 times its initial investment – in the form of drug donations and other in-kind contributions. Ascend also supported river blindness elimination in three states in Nigeria, improved treatment for refugees and internally displaced people, and built health system resilience and capacity to control and eliminate NTDs.

The event will share key findings from a new collection of research papers, ‘Ascend: Lessons from the programme in West and Central Africa’ due to be realised as a supplement in International Health this September, which various Ascend consortium partners collaboratively contributed to. This looks at the impressive impact of the programme and how to build on its success.

If you have any questions about the event, please email Amelia.Fincham@RSTMH.org.