Neglected Tropical Disease Fund

My name is Francesca Tomas and I am raising money for the prevention and treatment of the deadly disease Hookworm, the leading cause of maternal and child morbidity in the developing countries of the tropics and subtropics. One of the seven Neglected Tropical Diseases, Hookworm, is a preventable infection by a parasitic bloodsucking roundworm that lodges in the small intestine of its host victim—mostly defenseless children. Over 750 million people in the infected areas are affected each year. The irony of this disease is that it could be treated with drugs like Albenza or Vermox for less than two cents a pill, but in the areas where Hookworm is most common, even that insignificant amount is impossible to afford. Hookworm stunts children's growth, affects intellectual and cognitive deficits and causes anemia in pregnant women leading to protein malnutrition, severe internal bleeding and death.

My group of aspiring scientists at the University of Notre Dame is committed to increasing awareness of the NTDs (Neglected Tropical Diseases) and I have chosen to focus on Hookworm. With the help of our professor, Father Thomas Streit, the money raised on this GoFundMe page will go directly to the deworming of school-based children suffering from Hookworm.

Please help me and others bring this preventable and affordable killer of mothers and children to a halt. Please help us by making a small but profound donation to benefit this important cause. Thank you!