Accelerating the Sustainable Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (Ascend) is The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO)  flagship health programme to protect millions of people worldwide from Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).  

NTDs are a group of infectious diseases that thrive in poor and often rural settings, affecting more than 1 billion of the world’s poorest people. These diseases cause disability, disfigurement, stigma and death. 

The three-year programme aims to support national governments in sustainably tackling NTDs, with a focus on the control and elimination of five preventable NTDs: Trachoma, Schistomiasis, Onchocerciasis, Lymphatic Filariasis and Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Delivering results
Ascend will deliver a range of key interventions for the control and elimination of NTDs in line with national strategies, while ensuring a strong health systems approach is applied.

The programme will also work to strengthen relevant building blocks of national health systems, supporting countries to provide the prevention, detection, treatment and surveillance activities necessary to maintain the reduced disease burden in the longer term, and to prevent disease resurgence.

Crown Agents Limited has been appointed as the Fund Manager for implementation of Lot 1 of ASCEND which focuses on 11 countries in East and Southern Africa and South Asia.

Interventions will include:

• Mass Drug Administration of treatments (MDAs) delivered in target countries  
• Surgeries provided to prevent cases of blindness due to Trachoma  
• Treatments to reduce morbidity and disability of people with Lymphatic Filariasis  
• Increased early diagnosis and treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis 

Read more about the programme and its achievements to date here.

Contact us
For queries or information requests about the programme, email: Ascend_Enquiries@ascend.crownagents.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR ASCEND INFORMATION HUB.