When Rick Warren testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2015, he said something that remains true: Medicines cost less than tanks.
As a Christian, I believe every person bears the image of God and is worthy of dignity. I lead a Christian organization working with Christian hospitals and church networks across Africa and Asia. When America invests in the health of the most vulnerable — not as charity but as strategy — we gain friends and allies. I’ve seen this reality. U.S. resources help local providers meet needs. These efforts increase trust while building durable relationships.
Bill Simmons
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as river blindness, trachoma, intestinal worms and others disable hundreds of millions, mostly children, in the world’s poorest communities. They keep kids out of school, adults out of work and entire villages trapped in poverty. More than 1.5 billion people require treatment annually. The WHO estimates NTDs cost the global economy $33 billion annually.
American pharmaceutical companies have donated enough medicine to treat river blindness for an entire generation. It’s sitting in warehouses, expiring unused. Not because of supply chain problems or natural disasters, but because Washington hasn’t spent the money already appropriated to deliver it.
Congress took an important first step, recently passing an appropriations bill with bipartisan support to continue funding for NTDs.
“Neglected Tropical Diseases disable hundreds of millions, mostly children, in the world’s poorest communities.”
Now the State Department should continue to prioritize partnering with faith-based distribution networks such as Christian hospitals and church health systems as core delivery channels. The goal isn’t replacing government services but pairing them with trusted, community-level infrastructure.
For two decades, Republican and Democratic administrations invested modestly in NTDs through the State Department international assistance account. Those dollars leveraged pharmaceutical donations, supported local health workers and delivered preventive treatment at scale. Years of bipartisan work have pushed entire countries toward the elimination of these diseases, but so far, the money appropriated by Congress has not been spent.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, faith-based networks aren’t peripheral — they’re the backbone. Organizations have demonstrated this model at scale, reaching hundreds of thousands at risk through church-based networks and hospitals. These aren’t theoretical partnerships but proven delivery systems. Christian hospitals and mission clinics provide 30% to 50% of health services. In Malawi, the Christian Health Association delivers 37% of national care and 75% of rural services, often where no government facility exists.
Local churches extend this reach. Districts may have a handful of hospitals, but there are hundreds of congregations in communities NTDs hit hardest. These are trusted institutions with leaders who know every family, can mobilize volunteers and distribute medicines to the last mile. Leveraging this infrastructure is basic business sense.
In poor communities where preventable diseases destroy livelihoods, people notice who shows up. When a child’s sight is saved or a parent’s swollen limbs treated, families remember the source of that help. NTD funding is among our most cost-effective tools for shaping global perceptions.
“NTD funding is among our most cost-effective tools for shaping global perceptions.”
Some will argue foreign aid is a luxury we can’t afford during an era of budget constraints at home. Fair point — except NTD programs aren’t traditional foreign aid. They’re force multipliers. Each federal dollar leverages at least $26 in donated pharmaceuticals from U.S. companies, along with local community investments. More importantly, these programs use existing faith-based infrastructure. We’re not building new systems but rather activating networks that have served for generations.
We must recognize that foreign health assistance is strategic, not charitable. The entire State Department global health account is roughly one penny per federal dollar. NTD investments are a fraction of that, yet help millions see, work, attend school and live without the stigma of disease. The real waste would be abandoning this investment when elimination is finally within reach.
I was proud to link my voice with other faith leaders to call for American leadership on NTDs.
“Neglected” isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a political choice. Congress has shown that with vision and discipline, these diseases can be eliminated. The question is whether we’ll finish the job with tools and networks already on the ground or walk away yards from the goal line.
Bill Simmons serves as president and CEO of Hope Rises International, formerly American Leprosy Missions. His career includes leading national and international organizations for more than 25 years.