To mark 100 years since the discovery of insulin and to celebrate the premiere of our film documenting the current state of insulin access around the world, Health Action International hosted a Q&A with the film’s key contributors.

Our Managing Director Steve Maud, director of the film, joined HAI stakeholders and interviewees to discuss the importance of continuing the conversation around access to insulin and for Steve to give his perspective on making this film.

This film looks at the success in overcoming a crippling disease that has besieged Nigeria, and large parts of Africa for decades. Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness causes unbearable itching and ultimately blindness to the point where river-side communities were abandoned. Thanks to the dedication of people like Nasarawa State Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Jacob Righain, the support of NGO partners The Carter Center and donation of the treating drug Mectizan by Merck & Co., local communities have been empowered to break the transmission of river blindness and create a platform for future disease interventions.

Filming just before the COVID-19 kicked in, we worked with a talented Nigerian crew to get right to the heart of the story. We edited back in the UK and created a bespoke soundtrack to help transport the viewer deeper in to the world of neglected tropical diseases.

It forms part of a wider suite of films used in different ways that have told the MDP story over the years, collaborating with multiple global partners from the Nigerian Ministry of Health and local government, to Sightsavers, the Carter Center and other key players in the game to get full engagement from the offset.

Working in partnership with Comic Relief and building on our understanding of British Airways’ brand requirements, we devised a concept for this inflight fundraising film, based on capturing real interviews with the real change-makers of the future from two sides of the world. The ripple effect of our actions can have a wide-reaching impact.

This film is currently played 40 minutes before landing on all mid- and long-haul flights.

We also made an accompanying Longer Version for internal colleague engagement that is a core part of British Airways’ Flying Start campaign.

Flying Start has raised over £25 million to date from inflight and colleague donations.

River blindness is a crippling disease that affects people who live at the margins of society, where they don’t have access to clean water, proper medical care or the preventative treatment Mectizan that is donated by Merck.

The work of non-governmental organisations like Sightsavers is key to helping strengthen national health systems in their response to neglected tropical diseases.

This film looks at the power of a truly symbiotic relationship between NGO and State as the strive to eliminate River Blindness from Nigeria.

Kate McCoy from Sightsavers said of this film: “It’s absolutely brilliant, the footage is stunning and the partnerships and different players in delivering oncho work come across so well – congrats!”