NEWS

ADOPT-A-VILLAGE PROGRAM BRINGS FUNDING TO
FIGHT DEBILITATING RIVER BLINDNESS DISEASE

18 May 2009    

NEWS FACTS

• United Front Against Riverblindness (UFAR) has launched a program to allow donors to support the on-going treatment program in villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  
• The program, called Adopt-a-Village, begins at $250 a year donation level. The money is used to defer costs of treating river blindness, a sight-robbing and infectious disease that is rampant in DRC.
• Those wishing to adopt can make a donation payable to UFAR. To learn more about Adopt-a-Village, contact Dr. Daniel Shungu at UFAR headquarters.
• More than 1,700 villages, ranging in size from 100 to 65,000 people, are included in the CDTI Kasongo project (Drug Distribution page on this website) in the Kasongo region of DRC and are available for adoption.
• An average village:
        - Includes 500 persons living within several square miles of rough terrain with few roads
        - Needs two bicycles to transport community workers as they distribute Mectizan
           to village households
        - Should receive treatment once annually for 10 to 15 years
        - Can be fully supported for $350 per year
• Annual treatment:
        - Requires annual training of five community distributors (one distributor per 100 people)
        - Requires a trained local doctor and nurse on hand during the annual treatment phase
           to identify and handle any treatment-related severe adverse reactions.
• The mailing address for UFAR is 13 Carnation Place, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Payments can also be made through PayPal on the Contributions page on this website. 

About United Front Against Riverblindness:

United Front Against Riverblindness (UFAR) is an African-inspired, nonprofit American health organization. Through the community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) program, UFAR delivers on-going medical treatment to fight river blindness to the approximately 942,000 living in the remote Kasongo region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Link to more information about UFAR and riverblindness http://www.riverblindness.org/

About the infectious disease, Riverblindness:

• River blindness causes major social and economic disruption by preventing adults from working, and thereby forcing children to forego education to support their families.
• The disease is characterized initially by a rash, severe itching, thickening and depigmentation of the skin, followed by visual impairment and eventually, blindness.
• River blindness (formally, onchocerciasis) is a major parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of the small blackfly that breeds along the banks of fast-flowing rivers.
• Humans acquire the disease during their regular trips to infested rivers for daily activities such as farming, hunting, fishing and fetching water.
• River blindness affects about 600,000 persons in the Kasongo region.
• The value of ivermectin for a single year of treatment is about $3.5 million. The drug is provided free of charge by Merck under the brand name Mectizan.

QUOTES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO DR. DANIEL SHUNGU, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UFAR

“Through Adopt-a-Village, service organizations and individuals can assist us significantly in the on-going fight against river blindness.”

“It costs UFAR an estimated $5,000 to fully treat the average village over 10 to 15 years.

With broad support, we can successfully treat for this sight-robbing infectious disease.”

“Through the Adopt-a-Village program we can stop the devastation caused by river blindness.”

“You cannot watch the damage that is done to a human body by this disease and not be moved to action.”

MULTIMEDIA ELEMENTS:

Additional photos on the UFAR website: http://www.riverblindness.org/new-photo-gallery.htm

		Low Resolution Photo: barefoot-low-res.jpg High resolution, 200 dpi photo barefoot-high-res.jpg Photo information: A village and villager in CDTI Kasongo.
		Low resolution Photo: children-doorway-lr.jpg High Resolution Photo: children-doorway-hr.jpg Photo information: When the adults can no longer work, or see, the children must take care of all family needs.

News Release: Word Format
News Release: PDF Format