Today is the fifth annual World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day. This year we are celebrating the successes of our inclusive, person-centred NTD work in Nigeria.
World NTD Day: Promoting a Person-Centred Approach

Neglected Tropical Diseases are a group of treatable and preventable diseases that continue to affect over one billion of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people. Drawing on our years of experience, CBM Global supports NTD programmes in parts of the world where these diseases are identified as a public health problem.
Taking its name from the Hausa phrase ‘Cikkaken Shirin Kula da Lafiyar’ meaning ‘inclusive and holistic’ care, our CiSKuLA project in Northern Nigeria has been innovative and ambitious. Together with our local partner HANDS, the project offers a truly person-centred approach to breaking the NTD – Disability – Poverty Cycle.
“At the heart of the CiSKuLA Project is the understanding that true transformation comes from addressing the multidimensional needs of those affected by NTDs and disabilities. This project has brought together healthcare, economic empowerment, mental health care, and inclusive WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) services in an unprecedented way.” Joseph Ameh, MEAL Officer, HANDS, Nigeria
“CiSKuLA is a model that could be the next approach.” – Philip Ode, Programme Manager, CBM Global Nigeria
Over the past two years, the CiSKuLA project has:
- Offered preventative treatments and surgeries for hydrocele
- Taught self-care and management of symptoms
- Set up inclusive WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) facilities, including setting up WASH clubs in local schools
- Supported self-help groups for those affected by NTDs (physically and mentally)
- Addressed stigma in local communities
- Supported people into livelihoods which are accessible for people with disabilities
Building upon past success
For decades CBM UK and our partners have been involved in mass drug administration as part of our efforts to combat NTDs like Trachoma, Lymphatic Filariasis and River Blindness. Mass drug administration is an important medical intervention and has made great strides in preventing and eliminating several diseases. However, there is more to do to ensure that people already affected by NTDs have their needs addressed. This is why our inclusive approach goes beyond a purely medical approach, to ensure that nobody is left behind.
Combatting stigma
We know from our Understanding Stigma “Voices” interviews in the Mind Skin Link project, which worked on the intersection of NTDs and mental health, that people with NTDs often face rejection, stigma and discrimination. The emotional consequences of these experiences can lead to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
We also know that increasing the visibility of people with disabilities is essential to undermining negative stereotyping, fear and shame. We need to support people with NTDs to be active, productive members of the community, so that they are recognised as people with dreams and hopes for their future like anyone else.
Economic empowerment and NTDs
As part of the project, CiSKuLA has supported people into livelihoods which they suggest themselves and which fit their own context – such as farming, goat rearing, and trading. This has had a huge effect on people like Amina, who has been affected by Lymphatic Filariasis for ten years. She was one of a group of women supported by the project to become traders. These women were then able to provide each other with vital peer support.
Livelihoods don’t just provide economic empowerment; they break down stigma and lead to community acceptance. In the words of Anas, who’s mobility was affected by lymphatic filariasis and trained as a WASH Artisan (plumber) as part of the project: “My community value me now.”
A model for the future
The CiSKuLA project is already demonstrating the benefits of working holistically and taking a person-centred approach. Applying our principals from the Mind Skin Link research, which appeared in our supplement on Mental Health, Stigma and NTDs published by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in 2024, our evidence from the CiSKuLA project has also been used by WHO in their recent case study on inclusive approaches to WASH in NTD programmes and the opportunities for livelihoods in WASH or people affected by NTDs. Participants in the project have shared their experiences in videos, talking about how their lives have changed as a result of the project and we are currently developing an innovative storymapping approach using ArcGIS to explore and communicate the impact of the CiSKuLA Model across the project area.
“This story is not just about statistics; it’s about the people whose lives have been profoundly changed by CiSKuLA’s interventions. By focusing on both immediate needs and long-term solutions, the project is not only healing bodies but also restoring hope and self-worth to individuals, families, and entire communities.” Joseph Ameh, MEAL Manager, HANDS, Nigeria
Our CiSKuLA project has started to show what is possible when NTD programmes consider the whole person. In our ongoing NTD work, we will continue to promote the holistic approach: together we can break the NTD – Disability – Poverty Cycle.