WATER to work with 2006 Miss World Beauty With a Purpose, Lamisi Mbillah and musician Rocky Dawuni to raise money to fight Buruli Ulcer in Ghana.

April 4, 2011 – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) of the Ministry of Health issued a letter to Water In Africa Through Everyday Responsiveness (WATER) authorizing it to attempt to raise $4.8 million US dollars to fight Buruli Ulcer in Ghana.  Buruli Ulcer is arguably the most neglected of the neglected tropical diseases (NTD’s).  It is a flesh eating bacteria related to tuberculosis and leprosy.  There were over 1,000 cases in Ghana in 2010.  It was the second most endemic country in the world behind Cote d’Ivoire with Benin third.  The disease is spreading in sub-Saharan Africa especially in the Gulf of Guinea.  The cause of transmission is not known.

In the letter, GHS requests that WATER, in conjunction with Lamisi Mbillah and Rocky Dawuni to seek funding on a larger scale, than previously attempted, to combat the disease.  Rocky Dawuni is Ghana’s most recognized international musician and Lamisi Mbillah was the first African woman to ever win the Miss World Beauty With a Purpose title in 2006 at the Miss World pageant.  Both were instrumental in the fight to eradicate guinea worm in Ghana and will now take their considerable capabilities to this new cause with WATER.