Cynthia Dohmen LaConte, chief executive officer of the Dohmen company has announced that the Dohmen Company Foundation has given $500,000 toMap International, an organization dedicated to fighting neglected tropical diseases.
A portion of the donation has been earmarked for sponsorship of MAP’s online “Community Hero” contest, purposed to help fight neglected tropical diseases and honor village leaders in Kenya, Bolivia and Cote d’Ivoire.
“We are pleased to have the Dohmen Company Foundation join us in our fight against neglected tropical diseases,” said Michael Nyenhuis, president and CEO of MAP International. “These community heroes are ordinary people with a vision and commitment to improve the health of their families and neighbors.”
The stories of how these community heroes have served their local communities can be found online at www.map.org/hero. The public is encouraged to vote online via the MAP website, Facebook or Twitter; the funding will increase along with the number of votes.
“MAP International, with its long history of providing critical medical supplies and training in developing countries, is the perfect partner for Dohmen,” said LaConte. “The mission of our Foundation is to connect people in need with life saving products and services. We believe that access to affordable, effective healthcare is a basic human right and we share a passionate commitment to making quality healthcare efficient, affordable and accessible for everyone.”
The three community heroes nominated for the Community Hero contest include:
Joseph K. Kitsao, a village chief in Kenya. He has been leading the fight against lymphatic filariasis, schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminthes as well as providing clean water through an improved filter system.
Asunta Escobar has been fighting Chagas disease in her remote Bolivian village.
Kouadio Fodjo Ignace is a nurse in Cote d’Ivoire where he heads the Guinea worm eradication program in his health district.
Voting is open until tomorrow. For every vote, the Dohmen Company Foundation will donate $1 to MAP’s neglected tropical disease projects. Votes can be cast to help Joseph’s village win irrigation foot pumps for more crops, Asunta’s village win water filters for clean water, or provide Kouadio’s village with Health Center renovations and updates. The community hero with the most votes will be honored as the winner. Votes are captured three ways: clicks on the poll at www.map.org/hero; by following a hero on Twitter; and, by becoming a hero’s fan on Facebook. Voting is open to everyone and there is no limit to the number of times a person many vote. The winning community hero will be announced on Saturday, March 20, 2010.
