Riverblindness in Africa: Taming the Lion's Stare

The remarkable story of how a large public-private partnership worked to control and defeat riverblindness―a scourge which had devastated rural communities and impeded socioeconomic development throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa for generations. The disease has destroyed countless lives for generations, particularly in Africa.
The book covers the transformation of the fight from a top-down high-tech operation to a grassroots drug treatment program covering all of endemic Africa. How, Benton asks, did the effort become such a unique partnership of UN agencies, donors, NGOs, a major pharmaceutical company, universities, African governments, and the stricken communities themselves? Highlighting the importance of disease control in alleviating absolute poverty and promoting development, Benton examines the key developments, individuals, and notable qualities of the partnership in realizing success. Drawing on Benton's twenty years of experience managing the riverblindness program for the World Bank, along with extensive research and interviews with 100+ players in the program, Riverblindness in Africa is the first and only book of its kind.