MENTOR provides technical assistance and operational support to mass drug administration campaigns, distributing preventive medication to people who are at risk. We partner with local health authorities to tailor mass drug administration campaigns to the specific needs and epidemiological context of each country.
MENTOR targets diseases such as lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and schistosomiasis through mass drug administrations. We support local governments to plan, coordinate and implement campaigns.
This includes putting supply chain mechanisms in place for effective distribution and engaging with communities to maximise coverage and compliance.
Monitoring the implementation of mass drug administrations and evaluating their impact is an important part of the programme. Monitoring systems are set up to assess the coverage of mass drug administration interventions and identify areas for improvement using tools such as supervisor coverage tool and coverage evaluation surveys.
By strengthening data collection and analysis, governments can make evidence-based decisions and refine their strategies to reach everyone at risk. This increases the impact and improves efficiency by targeting those in need instead of people who are no longer in need. This tailored approach also ensures hard to reach communities are targeted effectively.
By engaging with local communities, we identify those usually not treated and develop strategies to reach people such as ethnic minorities, children out of school, economic migrants, displaced people and refugees.
MENTOR’s experience in supporting mass drug administration in diverse settings includes countries affected by humanitarian crises and those with limited resources. For example, MENTOR has supported mass drug administrations in South Sudan and Angola, working closely with local governments and communities to reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases.
