Emirati donates Dh10.5m to campaign to end river blindness

The Reach Campaign targets neglected tropical diseases

Bader Al Hilali, an Emirati philanthropist, donates Dh10.5m to the Reach Campaign. Wam

An Emirati man donated Dh10.5 million to a campaign that aims to end river blindness.

Bader Al Hilali, a philanthropist, made the donation to the Reach Campaign, an Emirates Red Crescent-organised drive that targets neglected tropical diseases, which are little known in the wider world but devastating for sufferers.

"It gives me immense pride to support the Reach Campaign and join its noble goal to end river blindness. I am particularly pleased the campaign launched first in the UAE, further illustrating our culture of generosity and

humanity. I look forward to seeing our community come together to tackle this urgent issue and help improve the lives of millions around the world," Mr Al Hilali said on Wednesday.

The Reach Campaign launched two weeks ago and uses the theme Give 2, Save 2 – meaning that a Dh2 donation is enough to provide the medicine and treatment to protect one person against both diseases for an entire year - to encourage donations.

More than 200 million people worldwide require treatment for river blindness, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness. It is caused by repeated bites by black flies that live near flowing water.

Like many neglected tropical diseases, river blindness disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable people, trapping their families in cycles of poverty. Most of the cases are found in 31 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Proceeds from the campaign will go to the Reaching the Last Mile Fund, which delivers prevention and treatment across seven countries in Africa and the Middle East.

All the information can be found on the Reach website and using the social media handle, @reachtheendorg.