In Ghana’s Bono Region, people living with Skin-related Neglected Tropical Diseases (Skin-NTDs) have become the face of a growing but underfunded public health challenge—one that exposes the deep gap between what is medically treatable and what is socially and economically supported.
Advocates describe the situation as a silent humanitarian crisis in which victims lose livelihoods, social protection, and access to education, while families shoulder the emotional and financial cost of long-term care and stigma.
Although Skin-NTDs are preventable and treatable, they remain largely absent from global health financing priorities. Unlike tuberculosis, malaria, or HIV/AIDS—which benefit from sustained donor mechanisms and national budget lines—NTDs receive limited funding, leaving thousands without comprehensive care.
This lack of investment has implications beyond health: affected households often see income losses as breadwinners become unproductive, children drop out of school due to social ostracism, and entire communities struggle with misinformation and exclusion.
It is against this backdrop that the non-for-profit media advocacy organisation Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF) has launched a fundraising campaign to mobilize financial and in-kind support for more than 200 people living with Skin-NTDs across Sunyani West Municipality, Asunafo North Municipality and Tain District.
The initiative aims to complement clinical treatment with what advocates describe as “critical non-medical infrastructure”: psychosocial support, community reintegration, stigma reduction programs and dignity restoration.
Beyond direct support, the campaign doubles as a plea for systemic reform. GLOMEF is calling for the integration of Neglected Tropical Diseases into major global health financing systems, including the Global Fund, to secure long-term, equitable and sustainable responses.
Speaking at the launch in Sunyani, GLOMEF Chief Executive Officer Raphael Godlove Ahenu described the daily realities of victims, many of whom live in isolation or are abandoned by loved ones due to fear and stigma.
“These are not just medical conditions; they are deep social wounds,” he said. “Many victims of Skin-NTDs have lost their dignity and means of livelihood. Children are forced out of school because they are mocked, avoided and treated as outcasts.”
Mr. Ahenu argued that the continued exclusion of NTDs from major global funding mechanisms has prolonged suffering and inequality. “NTDs may be neglected in name, but the people living with them must not be neglected in policy, funding or compassion,” he said, urging the Government of Ghana and development partners to act.
Through its Community Integration and Systems Strengthening Project (CISSP), supported by Anesvad Foundation, GLOMEF has been providing psychosocial care and reintegration services in affected districts. He appealed to corporations, civil society, faith-based institutions and individuals to support the initiative.
