TL;DR
* Screwworm Free Future is a new group seeking support to advance work on eradicating the New World Screwworm in South America.
* The New World Screwworm (C. hominivorax - literally "man-eater") causes extreme suffering to hundreds of millions of wild and domestic animals every year.
* To date we’ve held private meetings with government officials, experts from the private sector, academics, and animal advocates. We believe that work on the NWS is valuable and we want to continue our research and begin lobbying.
* Our analysis suggests we could prevent about 100 animals from experiencing an excruciating death per dollar donated, though this estimate has extreme uncertainty.
* The screwworm “wall” in Panama has recently been breached, creating both an urgent need and an opportunity to address this problem.
* We are seeking $15,000 to fund a part-time lead and could absorb up to $100,000 to build a full-time team, which would include a team lead and another full-time equivalent (FTE) role
* We're also excited to speak to people who have a background in veterinary science/medicine, entomology, gene drives, as well as policy experts in Latin America. - please reach out if you know someone who fits this description!
Cochliomyia hominivorax delenda est
Screwworm Free Future is a new group of volunteers who connected through Hive investigating the political and scientific barriers stopping South American governments from eradicating the New World Screwworm. In our shallow investigation, we have identified key bottlenecks, but we now need funding and people to take this investigation further, and begin lobbying.
In this post, we will cover the following:
* The current status of screwworms
* Things that we have learnt in our research
* What we want to do next
* How you can help by funding or supporting or project
What’s the deal with the New World Screwworm?
The New World Screwworm[1] is the leading cause of myiasis in Latin America. Myiasis “
I guess it is ok to mention it, particularly in a holiday gift. Specifically I would feel it is ok to mention what it achieved without being preachy. Some companies use smaller amounts (1%) to signal social impact.
I hear that. Donation matching shows it's not just preaching for no reason.