Intestinal worms affect nearly the entire population of Sierra Leone — leaving millions of children sick, tired, anemic and undernourished. Sierra Leone’s north-east regions are also home to the highest numbers of schistosomiasis infections within the country. Here, more than two million people, including Sahr Gando, are at risk for contracting this painful and sometimes deadly disease simply by playing, bathing or drinking contaminated water. Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia or "snail fever," is second only to malaria as the world’s most devastating parasitic disease.

Sahr Gando is an independent miner and farmer living in Kono District, Sierra Leone. He, like most of the miners in the region, became infected after standing knee-deep in contaminated water panning for diamonds every day. Soon, he became so sick he could no longer mine, farm, leave his house, or support his wife and child.

But thanks to support from the government of Sierra Leone, the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) and nonprofit partners, Sahr Gando and his family received treatment for schistosomiasis and intestinal worms through a mass drug administration (MDA) in April of 2013. The government of Sierra Leone and partner organizations are working hard to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by treating entire communities at once with medicine donated by pharmaceutical companies.