Deworm the World and Partners Reach 20 Million School Age Children in 2009 Doubling Their CGI Commitment Target for Year One

Deworm the World and Partners Reach 20 Million School Age Children in 2009
Doubling Their CGI Commitment Target for Year One
"20 for 2" - DtW expands coverage to 20 million school-age children for only
two million dollars

NEW YORK , Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Deworm the World (DtW) and their
Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) education mega-commitment partners will deworm
20 million school-age children across 26 countries in 2009, doubling the
original commitment target for year one of 10 million children in 19
countries.

Under the 2008 education mega-commitment on school feeding and deworming aimed
at improving the education and health of millions of children worldwide, DtW,
together with Feed The Children, the World Food Programme, American Institutes
for Research, and other partners, support and advocate for government action
leading to the development of strategically targeted, sustainable,
school-based deworming programs. Focusing on the at-risk school-age
populations in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, deworming coverage
will increase, with additional funding, to reach up to 75 million children
over three years.

A chronic condition, parasitic worms affect over 400 million school-age
children worldwide, harming their health, nutrition and cognitive development,
and threatening their educational access and learning.

Mass school-based deworming is a safe, simple and cost-effective solution. At
a cost of less than $0.50 per child per year, deworming can reduce school
absenteeism by 25% and is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving
school participation ever rigorously evaluated. An education policy priority,
deworming is a crucial step towards achieving universal primary education and
improving children's long-term productivity.

DtW coordinates action among implementing partners, linking medication to
country programs, raising additional funds for their distribution where
required, and providing technical and strategic support to develop and
strengthen deworming policy and programs. Leveraging the "best buy" power of
school-based deworming, DtW expanded coverage to 20 million additional
school-age children at an investment of only two million dollars ($0.10 per
child) in 2009.

Following the announcement of "20 for 2," DtW is seeking to increase coverage
in 2010 to 50 million school-age children for under five million dollars.
These programs are ready to launch as soon as additional funding is secured.
This funding will increase the supply and distribution of medication, expand
on the ground technical support for governments, and establish a global
web-portal, enabling open access to worm infection data and documenting
real-time global deworming activities for improved strategic targeting and
program design.

If there are any "silver bullets" or "best buys" for the education sector,
then deworming is surely one.

To learn more about how you can take action, visit www.dewormtheworld.org or
email contact@dewormtheworld.org.

SOURCE Deworm the World

Lesley Drake, Executive Director, +1-202-531-0848,
lesley.drake@dewormtheworld.org