Deworm the world initiative

Evidence Action


What problem is Deworm the World working on?

Deworm the World is a programme of Evidence Action, whose mission is “to be a world leader in scaling evidence-based and cost-effective programs to reduce the burden of poverty.” According to Evidence Action, more than 895 million children are at risk for parasitic worm infections, primarily in poor communities with inadequate sanitation around the world. These infections interfere with children’s nutrient uptake, often leading to anaemia, malnourishment, and impaired mental and physical development. As a result, children who are infected are less likely to attend school.


What does Deworm the World do?

Regular treatment with a simple pill is a safe and effective solution to combat these infections. Through its Deworm the World program, Evidence Action:


Works with governments in countries with high burden of parasitic worm infections to design, scale, and sustain cost-effective mass deworming programmes.

Advocates for the implementation of mass deworming programmes by educating governments and assisting with program implementation.

Provides a variety of technical assistance to help governments launch deworming

Evidence Action’s Deworm the World Initiative


Evidence Action’s Deworm the World Initiative supports government-run deworming programs in schools through a combination of advocacy, practical support, and evaluation.

What is the problem?

More than a billion people suffer from parasitic intestinal worm infections. Two particularly common afflictions are schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis. Schistosomiasis is transmitted through water contaminated with the larvae of a parasitic worm, and affects roughly 206 million people.

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Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is transmitted through faeces and soil, and affects 1.5 billion people worldwide.

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Children living in severe poverty and without adequate access to sanitation are especially at risk, and there is evidence that worms negatively impact their development and reduce the income they earn later in life.

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What do they do?

The Deworm the World Initiative is run by Evidence Action. Evidence Action is focused on identifying and scaling-up evidence-based and cost-effective interventions. Since 2007, they have advocated for and supported the implementation of government-run deworming programs for preschool and s

Deworm The World Initiative


The Deworm the World Initiative (DtWI) has been one of our highly recommended charities for several years now. Our colleagues at Givewell have recently published an extensive update recently that was generally very favourable, and they continue to rank among Givewell’s top charities. You can read more about the general case for deworming on Givewell’s page on deworming. In this blog post, we will give you an update about their efforts that we feel complements Givewell’s report. You can find more general information about DtWI on our website. In our opinion, DtWI continues to be a very promising charity and could be one the most effective charities in the world.

Recent Scientific findings that relate to DtWI’s effectiveness

New findings on whether deworming improves health and cognition

DtWI has traditionally focused on deworming programs in India, where soil-transmitted intestinal worms (soil-transmitted intestinal helminths (STH)) are very common and there is almost no schistosomiasis, which is generally considered to be more harmful. The main STH parasitic worms that infect people are the roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides), the whipworm (Trichuris

Deworm the World





We use evidence to fight worms and change lives




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More than
895 million children are at risk
for parasitic worm infections like soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis.

These infections mainly occur in areas with inadequate sanitation, disproportionately affecting poor communities. Children infected with worms are often too sick or weak to attend school because their body can’t properly absorb nutrients. If left untreated, worm infections lead to anemia, malnourishment, impaired mental and physical development, and severe chronic illnesses.

A safe, effective, and low-cost solution does exist — in the form of a simple pill taken once or twice a year. Regular treatment reduces the spread of the disease and helps children stay in school and live healthier and more productive lives.








Since 2014, Deworm the World has helped deliver
over 2 billion deworming treatments
to children – for
less than 50 cents
per treatment on average.

We work closely with governments in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya, and Malawi to implement high-quality and cost-effective mass deworming programs that are resulting i