“We had light in our hands/ until river blindness took hold of our sight/ We had our children/ until they were kidnapped by sleeping sickness.”
Over half a billion people in sub-Saharan Africa are affected by neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, such as sleeping sickness and trachoma — accounting for over one-third of the global burden. These diseases have wide-ranging and detrimental effects on people’s lives — preventing children from attending school, limiting adults’ ability to work, and trapping entire families in cycles of poverty.
Through poetry, performance poet Che Joy combines English and French to amplify the voices of forgotten populations, encouraging communities to demand change and ensure this cycle of neglect ends.
Watch the video above to see her powerful piece.
Visit Escape the Neglect — a series exploring the extraordinary progress that countries are making in eliminating neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs, and showcasing promising opportunities to build on recent wins.
This content is produced in partnership with our Escape the Neglect series. Click here to learn more.
About the author
Rachael Perrett
Rachael Perrett is a freelance writer and editor with over a decade of experience in publishing in the U.A.E and U.K. She specializes in sustainability, food provenance, community, and health.
