The commitment to leave no-one behind guided the efforts of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the MENTOR Initiative as they reached one of Maban County’s most mobile and hard-to-reach populations during the Mass Drug Administration (MDA) campaign in July 2026.
With support from the Reaching the Last Mile Fund and The Carter Center, the campaign provided preventive treatment for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis to the Falata nomadic population.
The Falata are a highly mobile pastoralist community that seasonally moves across the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Sudan, West Africa and South Sudan. Their constant movement presents unique challenges to accessing health services, which increases the risk of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), and often leads to them being missed during MDAs.
To overcome this challenge, the MOH, County Health Department and MENTOR introduced the “Map & Treat Camps” strategy. A community-led approach involving community drug distributors, social mobilisers and Falata leaders, including their Umdas and Sheiks, working closely together. They mapped and reached remote cattle camps and administered Ivermectin and Albendazole tablets to the eligible population.
This innovative strategy successfully treated over 3,007 Falata nomads, who otherwise would have been missed during the campaign. Beyond the numbers, the initiative strengthened community trust and demonstrated that flexible, community-led approaches can break barriers created by distance, mobility and limited access.
This achievement highlights an important lesson in disease elimination: reaching the last mile requires innovation, partnership and commitment to every community, regardless of location or lifestyle. Because when everyone is reached, everyone is protected.