Click here for the Japanese version.（日本語版はこちら）
※Donations are accepted through both the Japanese and English versions of this page. All funds raised will be pooled and used to build and further enhance the same platform.
There Are Still Diseases Whose Voices Have Not Been Heard
When we think of infectious diseases that continue to spread globally and threaten people’s lives and livelihoods, we often think of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. However, these are not the only diseases of concern.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) ※1 are a group of 21 diseases that mainly affect people living in poverty, impacting around 1.5 billion people worldwide. These include rabies, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and Hansen’s disease.
When people are affected by NTDs, adults may lose the ability to work and support their families, while children may be unable to attend school. These diseases can profoundly disrupt lives and futures. Yet, despite their devastating impact, NTDs continue to receive insufficient global attention and funding.
Even today, diseases cause immense suffering for tons of people, yet their voices remain unheard.
Reference: World Health Organization (WHO), "Reported Number of People Requiring Interventions Against NTDs."
※1:The WHO defines NTDs as 21 distinct diseases: Dengue, Rabies, Trachoma, Buruli ulcer, Treponemal infections, Leprosy (Hansen's disease), Chagas disease, Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), Leishmaniasis, Cysticercosis, Dracunculiasis (guinea worm disease), Echinococcosis, Foodborne trematodiases, Lymphatic filariasis, Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Schistosomiasis, Soil-transmitted helminthiases, Mycetoma, Scabies, Snakebite envenoming, and Noma.
We Are Ready to Turn Youth Voices into Global Action
Global youth involvement in addressing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) has significantly increased in recent years.
Through the International NTD Youth Initiative, young people from various countries have come together regularly, taking turns to host meetings where they share their activities, experiences, and lessons learned. Concurrently, the NTDs NGO Network (NNN) has facilitated learning and collaboration by organizing workshops and youth-focused sessions during its annual conference.
These combined efforts illustrate a robust and growing movement of young individuals working across borders to combat NTDs. However, despite the rising global engagement of youth, there remains a lack of a permanent and trusted space for these initiatives to connect, continue, and grow over time.
Creating a Space to Connect Like-Minded Change-makers Around the World
There are many organizations across the world working toward the elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Through our activities so far, we have met and collaborated with many passionate and committed peers who share the same goal.
However, several challenges remain:
・Fragmented collaboration: There is no effective way to understand each other’s activities or to connect, even when organizations wish to collaborate.
・Lack of visibility: Organizations that could and should work together are often unaware of each other’s existence.
・Persistent inequality: Smaller organizations, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, face significant barriers to fundraising and lack the capacity and visibility needed to amplify their work
To address these challenges, we are now envisioning the creation of a dedicated platform—a shared space designed to connect like-minded organizations and youth around the world who are working toward the elimination of NTDs
What This Platform Will Look Like
This website will be designed with the following features:
- Developed primarily in English, making it accessible to people around the world
- An interactive world map on the main page, plotting the locations of participating organizations to provide a visual overview of global activities
- By selecting each location, visitors will be able to quickly learn about the organization’s mission, size, and key activities at a glance
Our goal is to complete and publicly launch this platform on January 30, 2026—World NTD Day.
Learning from Existing Youth-Led Platforms
Internationally, there are already successful examples of youth-led platforms, such as Precious Plastic. Since the establishment of its platform, the following outcomes have been reported:
- Stronger collaboration among participating organizations, forming a powerful global network
- Improved access to funding opportunities
- Greater impact in advocacy and policy engagement
Inspired by these precedents, we believe that a similar platform focused on NTDs can unlock new possibilities for collaboration, equity, and impact across the global youth community.
Use of Donations
Donations raised through this project will be used alongside NTDs Youth Organization Japan’s own funds to cover costs that require professional expertise, such as specialized system design and technical implementation. To achieve this, we will engage with external companies and experts.
All planning, coordination, content creation, and operational work related to this project will be conducted by members of the NTDs Youth Organization Japan. This approach ensures that contributions are utilized efficiently and effectively.
If total donations exceed JPY 300,000, any additional funds will be allocated to the development and ongoing maintenance of a donation and payment system. This will help support the platform's long-term sustainability.
Acknowledgment of Supporters
With our sincere gratitude, the names of supporters will be listed on the platform’s website as contributors.
Please note that supporters may choose to remain anonymous or opt out of name listing upon request.
Messages from Our Partners
