Why we must collaborate across NTDs and how we make that happen

An article with Dr Jemish Acharya, former Chair of NNN

Why we need to collaborate across NTDs and how we make that work

In this article, we talk to Dr Jemish Acharya, who works for TLM Nepal. In 2023, Jemish was the Vice-Chair of NNN and in 2024, Jemish was the Chair of NNN, which is the Neglected Tropical Disease NGO Network.

We hear from Jemish about why collaboration across NTDs is essential in 2025, how NNN is facilitating that, and how all NTD organisations - big or small - can play a role and benefit.

How it started

In 2009, NNN was started to create a global forum for non-governmental organisations working to control onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis, soil transmitted helminths, and trachoma. In the early years, NNN acted as a conference-organising network.

Where we are now

In the years following 2009, the network has expanded to include all NTDs and now addresses these diseases through cross-cutting approaches. In recent years, the leadership of the network has transitioned towards endemic countries and a greater focus has been placed on hearing the voices of affected communities.

What difference does it make to work across NTDs? Isn't it better to focus on our own disease areas?

Dr Jemish Acharya

I think some might say that when we expand our focus to working across NTDs, we risk diluting our close focus on our own specific NTD. But for me, the advantages of working across NTDs are huge. I want to pick out three big wins that I see: efficient programme design, sustainable impact, and funder appeal.

Efficient programme design:
NTDs primarily affect the same cohort of people. When I design a leprosy control programme, my target audience is very similar to my counterpart in a lymphatic filariasis programme. We're often using the same implementation modalities and have the same technical specialty, so when we design programmes in partnership, we make efficient use of our resources.

What difference does it make to work across NTDs? Isn't it better to focus on our own disease areas?

Sustainable impact:
To be sustainable, we realistically need governments to be engaged in our programming and be willing to take what we've built and continue it. If you are in government, there is always a pressure to use your resources well. If you saw a programme that covers multiple diseases, you would believe that your money will go further. We've seen the TB community be great at this; they showed governments how their interventions worked seamlessly alongside other communicable diseases and they saw their programming integrated within the government's health work. The NTD world can learn a lot from this.

Funder appeal:
If you were a funder and you had $5m to give to a programme, would you give it to the programme that reached a group of people facing one disease or a group of people facing five diseases? Funders have their own stories they want to tell around impact and reach and by combining people across multiple diseases they have a bigger story to tell. When we combine funding bids across NTDs, we increase the likelihood that we will access funding. And as I mentioned in my first point, there are a lot of efficiencies to be made through this kind of combined programming.

Why do we need a network of NGOs working towards NTD elimination?

Well, to answer this question I can speak from my own experience, both my personal experience and the experience of my organisation.

Personal experience

I am a programmes person at heart and so for me it has been fascinating to learn from peers through the NNN.

At TLM Nepal, we've always wanted to incorporate evidence-bases into our programming, but it was engaging with NNN partners that really brought this to life. I have spoken to other NGOs and WHO about how they do this and have taken that knowledge and applied it to what we do in Nepal. We have adapted our programme design frameworks based on this knowledge and have started to include our research team within our programmes. Now there is a research representative on each of our proposal design teams.

The same is true for co-production of programmes with communities. There was an emphasis on this topic for the workshops and presentations at the NNN Conference in 2023 and I learnt a lot. I saw how our NNN partners have engaged communities and government representatives to get input into their interventions.

We've taken this approach and have applied it to our work so that now we have knowledge exchange spaces within the community to gather input, then we go back to the office to design the project, before returning to the community to implement. We're excited to see how this new approach leads to different outcomes when these projects end.

This is what is so important about working in networks. Our sector must grow and evolve. In recent years that growth has been in areas like centring the voices of persons affected and in increasing evidence bases in our work.

But growth doesn't happen in a vacuum. Without networks to share ideas and explore the limits of what can be achieved in development work, how do we achieve that growth? Where will the next innovations in our sector evolve if not through networks like NNN?

Dr Jemish Acharya

Why do we need a network of NGOs working towards NTD elimination?

The experience of The Leprosy Mission

I think TLM has always been known within the NTD sector, but that's not the same as saying we were understood. We are a big organisation with a lot of capacity and a lot of expertise.

In recent years, as our engagement in NNN has grown, I think more of our NTD partners have seen that capacity and expertise. That exposure is great for The Leprosy Mission; our opportunities for partnership have grown and the way we are perceived by major funders has changed.

We have also seen that being a part of a wider network has helped us to get meetings with people that are normally hard to access. By saying that you are representing NNN and are a part of a massive global network representing 1.6 billion people affected by NTDs, you can get your foot into doors that were previously closed. The same is true of donors, who pay more attention when they see you are a part of something bigger.

Lastly, The Leprosy Mission has benefitted from being at the NNN Conferences and being in the cross-cutting groups. We learn a lot and we also contribute a lot. The growing presence of persons affected within NNN is partly thanks to our teams, who have championed this consistently.

What direction will NTD collaboration take in the years ahead?

More grassroots voices

There is a growing movement towards hearing more from persons affected and smaller implementing organisations. Persons affected by NTDs now have a guaranteed amount of time for speaking at NNN Conferences and there is an effort to establish regional networks within the wider NNN network.

It can be hard for very small grassroots organisations to find their space within a global network with big NGOs, and we hope these regional networks will allow these organisations to find their feet and grow in confidence.

Exploring collaborative implementation

We are hoping we will see more opportunities for work to be implemented on the ground through NNN. We imagine this will be through encouraging more collaboration between NNN members who themselves are implementing work. As I mentioned previously, there is a lot of crossover in what we do and there are lots of opportunities to explore.

Increasing the profile of the network

Our combined voice as a network representing 1.6bn people is powerful but under-explored. We want to see what it would mean for NNN to have a greater voice at the United Nations, at the World Health Assembly, with WHO.

We also want to see what it would mean to bring greater awareness of the NNN name within networks of major funders. We have a great story to tell and a lot of potential to use funds with impact.

The future of NNN - a call to action

We envision a future where our collective strength drives real, measurable progress against NTDs. The NNN is a movement rooted in partnership, grounded in innovation, and driven by the unwavering belief that we can eliminate NTDs and build a world where no one suffers needlessly.

The future of the NNN lies in our ability to bring people together. Governments, NGOs, researchers, communities, working hand in hand, breaking down silos, and finding solutions that are as inclusive as they are impactful. It's about harnessing the power of data, investing in people, and ensuring that the voices of those most affected guide our path forward.

This network has always been about hope and action. And if we continue to work with purpose, if we lead with empathy and determination, there is no doubt in my mind that we will not only achieve our goals, but we will inspire a generation to believe in the power of collaboration and the possibility of a healthier, more equitable world. That is the future of the NNN. And together, we will make it a reality.

DO YOU THINK THERE IS VALUE IN MORE COLLABORATION ACROSS NTDS?

Yes, there is a lot of value and I think we should collaborate more
No, you have more impact if you keep your focus on one disease
I'm not sure