The Health Challenge
In remote rural districts of Sierra Leone, a common skin infection can turn into a lifelong burden. For families who live far from health facilities, chronic itching, painful skin sores, and the gradual loss of sight caused by onchocerciasis (river blindness) are everyday realities. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) like onchocerciasis, scabies, and lymphatic filariasis, remain widespread in Sierra Leone, especially in Kenema, Bo, and Pujehun districts. These diseases lead to ongoing discomfort, social stigma, missed school days, and economic struggles. Despite some progress, access to essential medicines is still limited.
MAP’s Strategic Response
MAP, in collaboration with District Health Management Teams and local partners, will launch a 6-month ivermectin campaign targeting over 25 underserved catchment areas across Kenema, Bo, and Pujehun. Ivermectin is a safe, proven, and affordable medication that improves community health by treating onchocerciasis, controlling scabies at the community level, and helping reduce lymphatic filariasis transmission. By combining donated ivermectin with mobile outreach teams, MAP will deliver treatment directly to communities where people are suffering.
MAP currently has a supply of ivermectin that will allow the program to treat thousands of people across more than 25 communities.
Activities Include
- Training mobile teams on World Health Organization (WHO) Mass Drug Administration (MDA) protocols safety monitoring.
- Community awareness through radio, schools, and local leaders.
- Directly observed treatment with height-based dosing.
- Basic skin assessments, lymphoedema self-care education, and referrals for complex cases.
This model aligns with Sierra Leone’s national NTD roadmap and WHO 2030 targets.
Key Impact Metrics
With MAP’s current stock, we can reach about 14,000 to 18,000 individuals, depending on each community’s disease priorities. An estimated 137,500 additional individuals will benefit indirectly through reduced transmission, improved health-seeking behaviors, and strengthened community health systems. With additional resupply, the program can expand to serve more people once these established protocols are in place.
Other Key Indicators Include
- Achieve at least 80 percent treatment coverage in targeted catchments, verified through post-campaign coverage surveys.
- Conduct baseline and follow-up community surveys to evaluate impact and guide future expansion.
- Produce fully trained mobile outreach teams and integrated safety reporting systems within district health structures.
How You Can Help
To ensure the safe and high-quality delivery of donated medicine, MAP requests $50,000 in funding. This support will enable community mobilization, training, transportation, logistics for mobile outreach, and monitoring and evaluation to guarantee ivermectin reaches the most underserved households safely and efficiently. Your contribution will help close the last-mile medicine access gap for thousands of families, protecting both children and adults from preventable diseases and their lifelong effects.