At Probitas Foundation, we had the opportunity to participate in the Congress of the Spanish Society of Tropical Medicine and International Health (SEMTSI), held from 2 to 4 October in Santiago de Compostela. This year’s congress, focused on “Global Health in Childhood” provided us with a key platform to share our experience in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which currently affect over a billion people and remain a global public health priority.

During the congress, we shared our frontline work through a round table discussion featuring two of our expert collaborators. Hellen Nyakundi, Program Manager at Kaperur CBO in Kenya, explained how we have been working for over five years to combat visceral leishmaniasis in children in Baringo County. Her words reflected how our efforts in diagnosis, treatment, and community awareness have transformed the lives of many families affected by this disease. 

Additionally, Irene Losada, from the Chagas Initiative at ISGlobal, presented the progress made in the fight against Chagas disease in Paraguay, a project in which we have rehabilitated clinical diagnostic laboratories in the Chaco region, ensuring early diagnosis and improved treatment for the child population. 

These diseases, like other NTDs, are sometimes transmitted through habits or behaviours that bring people into contact with the parasite. Children are particularly vulnerable to contracting the disease due to these habits and their lack of knowledge about transmission mechanisms. Both projects place special emphasis on community awareness, focusing on behavioural changes and hygiene measures to prevent infection. We work with teachers to ensure that children have the knowledge and tools to avoid contracting the disease, transforming them from passive subjects susceptible to illness into agents of change within their households. 

Moreover, Javier Zulueta, International Program Manager at Probitas, presented the results of our work in Cuzco, Peru, where we tackle cystic echinococcosis using a One Health approach. In this project, we promote health education, control of the disease in animals, and the diagnosis and treatment of affected communities, working hand in hand with local authorities and communities to ensure a sustainable impact.  

As a Protecting Partner of SEMTSI, Fundación Probitas reaffirms its commitment to the future of global health through the SEMTSI Probitas Scholarships, which provide training opportunities in areas with a high prevalence of NTDs. 

Within this framework, Begoña Febrer, one of our first scholarship recipients, presented her research project at Cubal Hospital in Angola, where she worked on malaria diagnosis using the LAMP technique. Her contribution was recognised with the Award for the Best Presentation in Microbiology and Parasitology, highlighting the importance of these scholarships in fostering innovation in the field of NTDs. 

This congress has been a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of understanding the socio-cultural contexts of the communities in which we work, as well as the need for a collaborative approach to ensure that our health interventions are sustainable and effective in the long term.