Move Up Global and World Shoe Fund Join Forces to Fight Neglected Tropical Diseases in Rural Rwanda

Move Up Global has signed a new partnership with the World Shoe Fund, a global initiative that provides shoes to children in need. The World Shoe Fund is part of a social enterprise solution developed by Samaritan’s Feet International, a humanitarian organization that has distributed over 10 million pairs of shoes to people in more than 100 countries. The partnership aims to support Rwanda’s strategy to eradicate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of parasitic and bacterial infections that affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide, especially in impoverished and remote areas.

NTDs cause severe pain, disability, and death, as well as impair children’s growth, learning, and future prospects. One of the most effective and cost-effective ways to prevent and treat NTDs is through mass drug administration (MDA), which involves distributing safe and donated medicines to at-risk populations. However, MDA alone is not enough to eliminate NTDs, as other factors, such as poor sanitation, lack of clean water, and inadequate footwear, can also contribute to the transmission and persistence of these diseases.

Dr Nina Emrakabe is helping a student to wear her new shoes at one of the Move Up Global-supported schools.

That is why Move Up Global and the World Shoe Fund have joined forces to provide shoes to children in hard-to-reach communities in Rwanda, where NTDs are endemic. Shoes not only protect children’s feet from injuries and infections but also enable them to attend school, play, and participate in social activities. Shoes also symbolize dignity, equality, and human rights, essential for achieving universal health coverage and sustainable development goals.

The partnership will focus on the Musanze district, where Move Up Global partners with Ireme Education for Social Impact to support local schools and communities surrounding the Volcanoes National Park. However, the World Shoe Fund is expanding its footprint across the region. In addition to making footwear available to children in need, the partnership will develop and validate a bundle of interventions to eliminate NTDs in the district based on the Knot Framework, a novel approach that builds strong linkages between communities and health facilities.

The partnership will also conduct participatory research to understand the perceptions and acceptability of the interventions among the target communities and strengthen and inform the local and global policies on NTDs. The partnership will also document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned from the project, both locally and globally, to inspire and inform other stakeholders who are working to end NTDs and ensure health for all.

The partnership is aligned with the Rwanda National NTD Strategic Plan 2019-2024, which reflects the Ministry of Health’s vision to transform Rwanda into a nation free from preventable diseases in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals, the National Strategy for Transformation, and Vision 2020 and 2050. 

Rwanda has made remarkable progress in reducing the burden of NTDs, reaching 96% of the 5.5 million people targeted for preventive chemotherapy in 2020. However, NTDs still pose a significant challenge to the health and well-being of millions of Rwandans, especially children. The most common NTDs in Rwanda include soil-transmitted helminths largely known as intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and podoconiosis. These diseases affect the poorest population and can be prevented through better hygiene, sanitation, and access to footwear.

“There is a global call for integrated cross-cutting solutions addressing the cycle of chronic poverty that leads to poor community hygiene and the ongoing prevalence of preventable disease. At World Shoe, we are encouraged by the early results of our partnership with Move Up Global and the impact we are seeing at the community level. We know this bundled solution is going to have positive implications throughout Rwanda.” Dr. Courtney Cash, President, The World Shoe Fund.

Move Up Global and the World Shoe Fund commend Rwanda’s efforts to eliminate NTDs and are proud to contribute to this noble cause. The partnership will supplement Rwanda’s proactive strategy to end NTDs by addressing the root causes and the social determinants of these diseases. The partnership will also leverage the existing health system and community structures to ensure the sustainability and scalability of the interventions.

Move Up Global, and the World Shoe Fund are excited and honored to collaborate on this important and innovative project, which will not only improve the health and well-being of thousands of children in Rwanda but also contribute to the global efforts to end NTDs and ensure health for all.