The END Fund has officially announced the appointment of Professor Moses Bockarie as a Board member, and Dr. Caroline Karutu as the new Head of Programs. The Fund is the only private philanthropic initiative dedicated to ending the five most common Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which affect more than 1.7 billion people globally.
Mr. Bockarie has worked in the control department of NTDs for over 30 years, while Dr. Karutu has extensive experience designing and leading large scale public health programs. The two appointees are expected to continue the Fund’s legacy by efficiently advocating for NTD programs that are innovative, integrated, and cost-effective, in 30 countries, including Kenya.
Bockarie holds MSc and PhD degrees from the Liverpool school of Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, for his research on NTDs and malaria transmission research in Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Mali. He also undertook postdoctoral studies on NTDs in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the United States.
Bockarie serves as the Regional Director for Africa for the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), where he is also the legal representative of the organization in South Africa. In his new capacity as a board member, he will play a crucial role in fostering innovative technical approaches to ending NTDs, as well as exploring new funding streams for NTD programs.
The END Fund’s new Head of Programs, Dr. Karutu, has been a senior level career expert for nearly 20 years. Prior to her latest appointment, Dr. Karutu was the Chief of Party for the USAID-funded Regional Health Integration to Enhance Services in Eastern Uganda (RHITES-E) Project.
Dr. Karutu gathered evidence to improve retention of women living with HIV in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs in Kenya, for her doctorate degree in Public Health. She is an identifying and strengthening health service delivery gaps and building partnerships with governments and local communities for sustainable solutions. She will also be responsible for managing project investments that the END Fund makes on behalf of investors.
The END Fund has provided over 740 million donated treatments worth over Ksh. 100 billion (USD1 billion), over 12,900 surgeries, and trained more than 1.4 million people in NTD control and elimination efforts, since its inception in 2012.