Webinar: Navigating the Last Mile: Innovative NTD Elimination with Hard-to-Reach Populations

Delivering neglected tropical disease (NTD) services in diverse environments is complex, especially when focusing on reaching special populations. During this insightful webinar, panelists will discuss how NTD programs, which often emphasize large-scale impact, can be adapted to consider the unique human experiences that shape access, acceptance, and use of these services.

This webinar originally aired on September 19, 2024.  

Join us to learn how several hard-to-reach populations are critical to reaching the last mile of NTD service provision, including urban populations, ethnic and religious minorities, youth, people with disability, and nomadic pastoralists.

Moreover, the free event addresses how to integrate and respond to factors such as population shifts, and climate changes in NTD programming, ensuring that efforts are inclusive and equitable.

Featured speakers:

	Abuk Peter South Sudan Ministry of Health GESI Focal Person Abuk Peter is the GESI focal person for the Ministry of Health in South Sudan, and throughout her career, she has been committed to ensuring that everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, or socioeconomic status. She has a background in medicine and surgery, along with experience at public and government hospitals. After experiencing challenges due to inefficiencies in the healthcare system, she decided to transition into public health.  As a GESI focal person working mainly in the Department of Preventative Chemotherapy of NTDs, she particularly focuses on ensuring that marginalized groups in South Sudan can fully participate in social, economic, and political life, as well as have access to healthcare services, including services related to NTDs.
	Solomon Gadisa Program Manager Light for the World With a background in public health and a master’s in public health from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, Solomon Gadisa has 17+ years of work experience in various sectors, including a regional health bureau, health science college (as a lecturer), and different INGOs, including the Global Fund – Malaria program. He is currently the NTD Program Manager at Light For the World International.
	Marie Maud Jean WI-HER GESI Behavior Change and Social Mobilization Advisor Marie Maud Jean is a WASH and public health promotion specialist with strong program management competencies (CPAPM, PMP certified). She has 15+ years of experience working both in emergency and development environments in Haiti and internationally, including in health promotion, HIV/AIDS, WASH, emergency response for cholera, and emergency response for Ebola. As WI-HER’s Technical Advisor, GESI Behavior Change Communication and Social Mobilization, Maud provides technical assistance for the integration of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI) within USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) | East program in Haiti. She also leads the social mobilization efforts and application of WI-HER’s iDARE methodology to increase access and uptake of mass drug administration for lymphatic filariasis, an NTD.
	Claire Karlsson WI-HER Program Manager Claire Karlsson is a public health professional with 8 years of experience managing international development programs. Before joining WI-HER, Claire supported a variety of projects at USAID, including HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health and humanitarian response programs. As a WI-HER Program Manager, Claire oversees WI-HER’s contributions to the USAID Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East (Act | East) project, to address gender equity and social inclusion in order to reach the ‘last mile’ in the elimination and control of NTDs.
	Moderator: Sara Pappa WI-HER Director, Program Implementation Sara Pappa is a GESI expert with over 14 years of experience in GESI analysis, program design, implementation, and monitoring across multiple sectors. As the Director of Program Implementation at WI-HER, she supports technical teams and managers in delivering impactful programs in social behavior change, community engagement and locally-driven development, and health systems strengthening. Sara has played a pivotal role in leading and growing WI-HER’s Neglected Tropical Diseases portfolio, providing strategic technical and project management support across multiple programs and donors, spanning 11 countries. Her work focuses on reaching the ‘last mile’ in NTD elimination, ensuring that often-missed and excluded communities receive essential services. In addition to her NTD work, Sara’s extensive experience spans various sectors, where she applies her GESI expertise to drive inclusive and equitable outcomes in diverse programmatic contexts.