Helen Keller International wins award for its role in onchocerciasis

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and New York City-A winner has been announced for the latest Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organization prize. The blindness charity Helen Keller International (HKI) has won for its role in onchocerciasis (river blindness) control in 10 African countries.

The project was nominated by the United Nations Children's Fund and a judges’ committee composed of professional experts chose it from five nominated projects.

HKI aims to reach 102 million people at risk of onchocerciasis in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.

Founded in 1915, HKI is among the oldest international non-profit organizations devoted to fighting and treating preventable blindness and malnutrition.