Reaching the last mile Fund
The Reaching the Last Mile Fund was established in 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to eliminate river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in seven countries, and pave the way for global elimination of the two diseases.
OVERVIEW
The Reaching the Last Mile Fund model prioritizes country leadership in disease elimination and responds directly to countries’ evolving scientific, policy, and program delivery needs. Through this strategic investment model, the Reaching the Last Mile Fund supported Niger in becoming the first African country to submit a World Health Organization dossier, a scientific process that verifies elimination of river blindness in a country. In addition, it supported Senegal to halt its nationwide treatment and move on to a surveillance phase, in which they also aim to verify the elimination of river blindness. Building upon this foundation of success, in 2024 the fund expanded to a continent-wide elimination strategy.
To date, the fund has supported countries to deliver approximately 114 million treatments for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis across eleven countries and has facilitated life-altering surgeries for 2,435 patients with lymphatic filariasis. These accomplishments underscore the profound impact of country-led approaches to disease elimination.
REACHING THE LAST MILE FUND’s Impact
114m
treatments provided
2,435
surgeries performed
39
countries supported
Niger’s historic journey to eliminate ancient river blindness
The Reaching the Last Mile Fund expansion: Fast tracking elimination across Africa
In December 2023, at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum held on the inaugural Health Day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the UAE Presidential Court’s Reaching the Last Mile, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the expansion of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund to a continent-wide elimination program for river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in Africa.
Supported by a newly expanded coalition of countries, funders, and in-country partners, the Reaching the Last Mile Fund’s footprint will grow from 11 to 39 countries.
“These pledges represent an important milestone in our journey towards ending neglected tropical diseases,” said Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Board Chair of the END Fund, at the Reaching the Last Mile Forum.
“An Africa free from river blindness and lymphatic filariasis will restore dignity and social inclusion to millions of people, while ensuring that others don’t experience needless pain, stigma, and suffering.”
The global community is halfway to the World Health Organization’s target of 100 countries eliminating at least one neglected tropical disease by 2030. The expansion of the Reaching the Last Mile Fund is a pivotal step towards meeting this target, holding the promise of improving the health of millions of people, and increasing growth and prosperity throughout the African continent.
West Africa
Featured Project
A film by Jeff Arak
The documentary film, The Fly Collectors, highlights the history of river blindness (also known as onchocerciasis) control and elimination in West Africa and the dedication required to eliminate transmission of the disease – with a particular focus on a group of men in Senegal who volunteer to complete the painstakingly difficult job of catching disease-transmitting flies by hand. By collecting these samples, the fly collectors monitor the current state of river blindness transmission in their communities and serve as a critical force propelling Senegal closer to the milestone of eliminating transmission within its borders.
Other Funds
