Effect Hope

Mental health support can change how people experience recovery 💛

In 2025, 209 peer counsellors were trained in mental health support, expanding community-based care for people facing stigma, isolation, and emotional distress.

By training peer counsellors, communities are better equipped to provide support, encouragement, and understanding to those navigating the challenges associated with neglected tropical diseases.

✨ More people accessing support
✨ Stronger community networks
✨ Reduced isolation and stigma
✨ Care that extends beyond treatment

Every trained peer counsellor helps make support more accessible where it is needed most!

🔗 Explore more impact numbers and what they represent: effecthope.org/our-impact/ -numbers

Research can be a force for change.

For Mary Ellen Sellers, the UPLIFT project has shown how community-based research can do more than collect information – it can strengthen confidence, build connections, and help create lasting improvements in care.

"They're not just recipients of care; they're leaders, advocates, and educators."

By working alongside people affected by neglected tropical diseases, researchers and communities are helping shape solutions together and building knowledge that can improve care far beyond a single project.

✨ Read Mary Ellen's full reflection and explore more stories from our 2025 Impact Report.

🔗 effecthope.org/mary-ellen-voices-from-the-field/

In Ethiopia, the UPLIFT project is helping develop and test stronger ways to support people affected by neglected tropical diseases. 💙

🧠 More integrated mental health support
🤝 Stronger community-based groups
📊 Evidence-based learning
🌍 Scalable solutions for the future

UPLIFT is an operational research study to design and test an evidence-based harmonized model for Community-Based Groups.

By bringing together research, lived experience, and local participation, the project is identifying approaches that can improve physical, emotional, and social well-being for people affected by NTDs.

✨ The lessons learned today can help shape stronger care systems for years to come.

🔎 Explore our interactive map to learn more about our work in Ethiopia and across the countries we serve:

🔗 effecthope.org/our-impact/ -map

The Leprosy Mission International-Bangladesh LEPRA Society DAHW Deutsche Lepra- und Tuberkulosehilfe e.V.

In Ethiopia, we are developing a scalable model that integrates mental health peer counselling into NTD care to improve outcomes and help shape future global strategies.

With more than 16 million people at risk of neglected tropical diseases, access to comprehensive care remains essential. This work combines mental health support, research, and healthcare access to better serve affected communities while generating evidence that can strengthen future approaches.

💙 Mental health support integrated into care
📊 Research that informs future solutions
🏥 Improved access to support and services
🌍 Lessons that can help shape global strategies

This is the kind of innovation that starts locally and creates impact far beyond one community.

🔎 Explore our interactive map in our 2025 Impact Report to learn more about the work happening in Ethiopia and across the countries we serve.

🔗 effecthope.org/our-impact/ -map

Where does your donation go?

For every dollar donated to Effect Hope, 76¢ goes directly to programs in Asia and Africa.

We believe transparency matters. That's why we undergo regular independent audits, publish detailed annual reports, and measure the outcomes of our work so supporters can see the impact their generosity makes possible.

We're proud to be recognized by Charity Intelligence Canada as a Top 10 Impact Charity! This is a reflection of our commitment to accountability, stewardship, and meaningful impact.

Explore our 2025 Impact Report to learn more about how your support is creating change around the world.

🔗 effecthope.org/our-impact/

As a child, Mariam was abandoned after developing an illness no one could explain.

For years, instability and isolation shaped the course of her life.

“Finally, they got tired of me, and they abandoned me.”

But Mariam’s story is also a reminder that care, support, and opportunity can change what feels impossible.

✨ Discover what happened next by reading her full story of hope:
effecthope.org/mariam-story-of-hope/

🔗 Explore our work in Cote D'Ivoire
effecthope.org/our-impact/ -divoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, the HOPE Project is helping strengthen peer support groups for people affected by skin-related neglected tropical diseases.

People affected by skin NTDs often face challenges that extend far beyond physical symptoms – including stigma, isolation, mental health struggles, and barriers to healthcare and income.

Through community-led research, advocacy, and peer support, the HOPE Project is helping communities build stronger and more sustainable support systems that continue beyond treatment alone.

💛 Stronger community connection
🤝 More sustainable peer support
🌍 Greater inclusion and participation
✨ Support systems designed to last

This is care rooted in dignity, participation, and long-term impact.

🔎 Explore our interactive map in our 2025 Impact Report to learn more about the HOPE Project and the impact happening in Côte d’Ivoire and across the countries we serve.
effecthope.org/our-impact/ -divoire

In Côte d’Ivoire, barriers to education, poverty, and neglected tropical diseases are closely connected.

When children are unable to attend school, it can limit access to health information, future opportunities, and pathways out of poverty.

For people affected by skin-related NTDs, stigma, disability, and limited access to care can deepen exclusion – making peer support and community connection especially important.

In Côte d’Ivoire, we are helping make peer support groups more effective and sustainable.
💛 More inclusion
🤝 Stronger peer support
🌍 Greater participation within communities
✨ Sustainable support beyond treatment

Because care is about more than health alone – it’s about dignity, connection, belonging, and creating stronger opportunities for the future too.

🔎 Explore our interactive map in our 2025 Impact Report to learn more about the impact happening in Côte d’Ivoire and across the countries we serve.

🔗 effecthope.org/our-impact/ -map