SCI Foundation is now Unlimit Health. Learn more about what the change means for our ongoing efforts to eliminate neglected tropical diseases

Child winners’ posters displayed in Parliament raise awareness of neglected tropical diseases

3 February 2025

Amaal Tayub, 8, Arjun Arun, 11, and Adele Williams, 16, are this year’s winners of the Send a Wish poster competition, co-organised by Unlimit Health and The Leprosy Mission, to mark World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day which is celebrated on 30th January.

The competition aims to raise awareness of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) among children and young people in the UK.  

As winners of the Send a Wish poster competition, Amaal, Arjun and Adele were invited to the Houses of Parliament at an event organised by the UK Coalition Against NTDs calling on the UK government to reinstate its global leadership on NTDs. At the event, they received certificates and a set of art supplies. 

Amaal, the youngest of the winners, chose schistosomiasis as the theme for her poster. Amaal’s Dad is from Malawi and the lake is home to the snails known to be carrying the parasite. 

Poster competition finalists 2025
The winning submissions in our 2025 poster competition.

In her poster entry, Amaal said: “The lake in Malawi is my favourite place and I love the beach and swimming. My wish is for children to be able to swim without getting sick.” 

Arjun’s poster focused on the stigma faced by millions of people affected by leprosy. Arjun added:  

“Having heard of leprosy and cultural taboos around it during my schooling in India, I realised that the stigma about leprosy is in fact more contagious than the disease itself.” 

Arjun
Arjun, aged 11, stands next to his poster at the House of Lords event

Adele featured all NTDs in her poster, saying:  

“Stopping the spread is manageable and realistic. One way to do this is to make people aware of some of the common symptoms and names of the numerous diseases under the umbrella term of NTDs”. 

Adele
Adele, 16, with her mum Samantha. Adele designed her winning poster to highlight the importance of stopping the spread of NTDs.

The event was attended by people with lived experience of NTDs who spoke movingly at the reception, as well as MPs, researchers, academics, and civil society. Read more about the event here. 

Members of the public also voted online among the three winners, choosing Amaal’s poster as the winner of the public vote.

Poster by A.Tayouv, age 8
Eight-year-old Amaal’s poster won the public vote in the competition.

 

In association with

The Leprosy Mission