CN Tower and Calgary Tower to light orange for first time to support #WorldNTDDay
On January 30, two Canadian landmarks join other iconic monuments to highlight a group of forgotten diseases that affect 1.7 billion people.
MARKHAM, ON, Jan. 27, 2021 /CNW/ - Saturday, January 30, for the first time, the CN and Calgary Towers will light-up orange alongside iconic monuments like the Great Pyramids of Giza, Rome's Colosseum, the Seattle Space Needle, and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro as people across the world call for an end to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) on #WorldNTDDay.
In Canada, Effect:Hope, a Canadian Global Health organization, is calling on Canadians to learn about NTDs and take action. Effect:Hope is part of the Canadian Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases and a partner with Uniting to Combat NTDs, two coalitions of organizations, governments, and funders who are working together to end NTDs around the world.
NTDs are a group of 20 preventable or treatable diseases that most Canadians have never heard of but affect 1 in 5, or 1.7 billion, of the world's poorest people. These diseases weaken, disfigure, disable, and can even be fatal. Leprosy is one of the most recognizable diseases in the group.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHALLENGE
The first step to beating these diseases is raising awareness. On #WorldNTDDay, Canadians can join Effect:Hope and other organizations in a global social media challenge to draw attention to the scale of the issue. Those interested can take a selfie while holding one hand close to their face with "NTD" written on one finger. This is symbolic that 1 in 5 people are affected by NTDs. Post this photo to social media with hashtags #beatNTDs and #EndTheNeglect and tag @effecthope. Participants should extend the challenge to friends using tags.
QUOTE:
"Canadians don't know about NTDs because they are not diseases that exist here, but we should all care. NTDs usually affect people that don't have access to the basics - clean water, nutritious food, and sanitation. NTDs cost developing countries billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. Imagine how those countries could thrive if we were able to ensure that simple preventative care or effective treatments could reach every person affected." - Kim Evans, CEO of Effect:Hope.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
https://effecthope.org/wntdd21
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin
ABOUT EFFECT:HOPE
Effect:Hope is a global health organization that works within the scope of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), like leprosy, lymphatic filariasis, Buruli ulcer, and soil-transmitted helminth infections. For almost 130 years, we have been bringing hope and freedom to people living with NTDs and those at risk of contracting these life-altering diseases. We do this by strengthening and improving access to global health-care systems in the countries where we work to ensure that people affected by NTDs, including women and girls, have access to the medical care they deserve.
SOURCE effect:hope (The Leprosy Mission Canada)
Anjay Nirula, e-mail: [email protected], direct: +1 905 764-7626 Ext. 2048 | cell: +1 416 459-9198
Share this article