RTI International and The Carter Center Continue Partnership to Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases

ATLANTA — RTI International President and CEO E. Wayne Holden met with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Friday to discuss their joint efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) under the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) new flagship program Act to End NTDs | East.

RTI is a global leader in the control and elimination of NTDs. For 20 years, the institute has supported the planning, training, implementation and evaluation of NTD programming in more than 85 countries. Since 2006, RTI has led USAID’s $400-million flagship NTD project, ENVISION, expanding from a seven-country proof-of-concept project, to a global initiative that has provided more than 1.4 billion cumulative treatments to nations around the world.

“By fighting neglected tropical diseases, Uganda, Nigeria and other developing nations have improved life and renewed hope for millions of people,” said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Founder of The Carter Center. “The Carter Center is proud to partner with USAID and RTI through ENVISION, and I look forward to continued success through Act to End NTDs.”

To date, The Carter Center has received more than $28 million for NTD control and elimination from USAID’s ENVISION project through RTI. This partnership has achieved remarkable results within six years. The Nigerian government distributed more than 130-million treatments for onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths. Finally, roughly 18 million people in Uganda are no longer at-risk for at least one USAID-targeted NTD.

“Thanks to support and funding from the U.S. government, RTI and The Carter Center have been partners in the fight against NTDs since 2013. We look forward to continuing our partnership for at least the next five years,” said Dr. Holden. “Our successes illustrate the importance of working together and the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid in assisting governments to improve the public health of their most vulnerable citizens.”

RTI will continue its NTD elimination efforts under the new USAID program, Act to End NTDs | East.