NORTHBROOK, Ill., Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Astellas Global Health Foundation ("Foundation") announced today it will provide $1.85 million in combined new grants to five charitable organizations for urgent projects helping improve access to health and build community resilience – including COVID-19 vaccine education and support – for vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations within Nepal, Honduras, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and Venezuela.

Half the world lacks access to essential health services, with 100 million global citizens pushed into extreme poverty, according to a report from the World Bank and World Health Organization.¹

The new Foundation grants are the latest contribution to address this disparity with funding intended to help more than four million people in highest need lead healthier lives. These efforts are part of the Foundation's continuing focus to help to improve health access, build resilient communities and provide disaster support for high-need populations within low- and middle-income countries where Astellas does not have a business presence.

The Foundation looks forward to supporting the following organizations' efforts with the new funding:

• CARE: Helping nearly 800,000 people in remote, underserved districts and communities in Nepal and Honduras with comprehensive COVID-19 prevention measures and vaccination campaigns. This is the second grant CARE is receiving from the Foundation.
• The END Fund: Directly reaching nearly three million people at risk of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by working with the Ministry of Health. This grant helps the END Fund to reach their goal of delivering more than 47 million preventive chemotherapy treatments to over 28 million people and training more than 188,000 health workers to distribute NTD treatment in the DRC. This is the second grant The END Fund is receiving from the Foundation.
• Evidence Action: Supporting efforts to reduce child morbidity and mortality from diarrheal disease and reach 250,000 people in rural, hard-to-reach communities in Uganda through the provision of chlorine dispensers that enable free and reliable access to safe water. This is the first grant Evidence Action is receiving from the Foundation.
• International Medical Corps: Working to improve vector-borne and tropical disease prevention and control in health centers benefitting more than 125,000 lives in Venezuela's Bolivar state through training, distribution of supplies, deworming campaigns, and community mobilization. This is the second grant International Medical Corps is receiving from the Foundation.
• World Vision: Reaching ~140,000 vulnerable people, including children, in hard-to-reach communities in Nepal by strengthening its COVID-19 education and vaccine support activities. This is the second grant World Vision is receiving from the Foundation.

"The new support from the Astellas Global Health Foundation is energizing. It will enable World Vision to help build community resilience against COVID-19 for Nepali residents in urgent need with improved information-sharing, hygiene, immunizations and access to care," said Abby van Horne-Brett, Senior Director, Corporations & Foundations, World Vision. "As part of the funded work, we also will collaborate with government agencies on education, training and vaccination planning and roll-out to address health access inequities and gaps and help ensure the impact continues well beyond the immediate pandemic crisis."

Programs that receive Foundation funding are designed and implemented by non-profit organizations in alignment with the Foundation's Social Contribution Policy and corporate sustainability focus on improving access to health. Success is defined by each program's ability to make a meaningful impact and actively contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.¹

"The Foundation's latest funding choices underscore our commitment to working with global organizations to help create a sustainable future for vulnerable global communities in need," said Shingo Iino, president of the Astellas Global Health Foundation. "By supporting programs that address such basic needs as access to healthy drinking water, tropical disease prevention and treatment, and COVID-19 vaccines, we hope the Foundation makes a lasting impact on improving healthcare for those who need it most."

About the Astellas Global Health Foundation

The Astellas Global Health Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit corporation that awards grants to support charitable purposes with a focus on improving access to health in underserved global communities, building resilient communities and providing disaster support in order to make a sustainable impact on the health of people around the world, working toward "One World, A Healthier Tomorrow." To learn more about the Astellas Global Health Foundation please visit www.astellasglobalhealthfoundation.org.

About CARE

Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package®, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in over 100 countries, reaching more than 90 million people through 1,300 projects. To learn more, visit www.care.org.

About The END Fund

Founded in 2012 on the principle that everyone in need of neglected tropical disease (NTD) treatment should have access to it, the END Fund has worked with communities and governments around the world to end the five most prevalent NTDs by 2030: intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, blinding trachoma, river blindness (onchocerciasis), and lymphatic filariasis. The END Fund delivers treatments to those in need by growing and engaging a community of activist-philanthropists, managing high-impact strategic investments, and working in collaboration with government, NGO, pharmaceutical, and academic partners. To learn more about the END Fund, please visit www.end.org.

About Evidence Action

Evidence Action scales evidence-based and cost-effective programs to reduce the burden of poverty, bridging the gap between research about what works and solutions for people in need. Founded in 2013, Evidence Action has rapidly grown to operate in seven countries across Africa and Asia, effectively serving hundreds of millions of people in the world's poorest places. Evidence Action's two flagship programs, the Deworm the World Initiative and Dispensers for Safe Water, measurably impact over 280 million people each year. Its Accelerator serves as an engine for new program development, selecting interventions with the highest potential to measurably improve the lives of millions. To learn more about Evidence Action, visit evidenceaction.org

About International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian and relief organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering. Since 1984, it has delivered emergency medical and related services to those affected by conflict, disaster and disease, no matter where they are, no matter what the conditions. Since its founding by volunteer doctors and nurses responding to urgent needs in Afghanistan, it also has focused on training people in their communities, providing them with the skills they need to recover, chart their own path to self-reliance and become effective first responders themselves. To learn more about the organization and how it's battling COVID-19 worldwide, please visit https://internationalmedicalcorps.org/covid19.

About World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.  World Vision's global COVID-19 response is active in 70 countries. In Nepal, World Vision has been serving the most vulnerable communities since 2001. In addition to the COVID–19 response, our work there focuses on health and nutrition, education, child protection, and livelihoods and resilience.

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¹ World Bank website. Tracking University Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report. Accessed on October 28, 2021. Link: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/640121513095868125/pdf/122029-WP-REVISED-PUBLIC.pdf 

SOURCE Astellas Pharma US, Inc.