Unlimit Health (formerly SCI Foundation)
Unlimit Health (formerly known as SCI Foundation) works to end parasitic disease globally. To achieve this, Unlimit Health partners with both government ministries of health and affected communities to share evidence and expertise to end preventable parasitic infections and build resilient systems for good health.
What problem is Unlimit Health working on?
Unlimit Health focuses on the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), including parasitic worm infections.
NTDs affect over one billion people in the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities. Parasitic worm infections can have a hugely detrimental effect on individuals, including:
- Reduced productivity
- Internal organ damage
- Impaired child development
- Reduced school attendance
- Increased risk of HIV in women
- Infertility
According to Unlimit Health, in 2020, only 44% of people needing treatment globally received it — meaning that more than 130 million people at risk from parasitic disease did not receive treatment.
What does Unlimit Health do?
Unlimit Health works to build resilient systems that sustain good health by sharing evidence and expertise to end preventable parasitic infections in affected communities. It works across multiple sectors in numerous countries to deliver effective and robust health programmes that have a lasting impact, including:
- Providing support for evidence-based disease elimination.
- Strengthening cross-sector health systems.
- Building collaborative partnerships.
Its 2023–2028 strategy is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Unlimit Health reports that it delivered 63 million treatments to 52 million people in 2021–2022, and claims that just £1 can help deliver treatment for up to three people. In 2023–2024, it plans to support treatments for around 75 million people in 12 partner countries — in particular, focusing on broadening access to treatment to include groups not adequately covered by mass treatment campaigns, such as pre-school children and women of reproductive age.
Why is Unlimit Health one of our top-rated charities?
Unlimit Health meets our criteria to be a top-rated charity based on the recommendation of one of our trusted evaluators, Founders Pledge. Our trusted evaluators are charitable giving experts who focus on impact — their research into the best charities means your donations can do even more good. Learn more about charity evaluators we trust and why.
Some other information relevant to Unlimit Health’s cost-effectiveness is:
- Unlimit Health was one of GiveWell’s top-rated giving opportunities from 2011 to 2022 (under its previous name, SCI Foundation). GiveWell’s decision to no longer recommend it was not based on any shift in thinking about the programme, but rather a change in its top charity criteria. (See more about GiveWell’s decision.) GiveWell has continued to fund Unlimit Health via its All Grants Fund.
- Open Philanthropy has awarded several grants to Unlimit Health (under the name SCI Foundation), including over $3 million USD in 2021, which is an indicator of its cost-effectiveness.
- Some research shows that deworming has positive effects on improved life outcomes like school attendance and income earnings. There is also some uncertainty surrounding findings that link deworming programmes to improved life outcomes — see GiveWell’s in-depth report on the case for mass deworming.
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