Effect Hope is a 4-star charity with high demonstrated impact. The charity has a C Results Reporting grade, which is below average. For every dollar donated to the charity, 85 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci's reasonable range.

Founded in 1892, Effect Hope (formerly The Leprosy Mission Canada) is a Christian development charity with a mission to bring hope and restoration to people affected by neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Examples of NTDs include leprosy, Buruli ulcers, lymphatic filariasis, hookworm, roundworm, and river blindness. The Leprosy Mission was founded in India in 1869. In 1982, the development of multi-drug therapy allowed the Leprosy Mission to expand its work from the alleviation of suffering to a cure. In 2014, the Leprosy Mission rebranded to Effect Hope (EH). Effect Hope reports that one in five, or 1.7 billion people globally have an NTD. The charity runs programs in eight countries: Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The charity partners with others to deliver programs that strengthen healthcare systems and improve access to resources for marginalized people. Partners include other global health organizations, local governments, and community leaders.

In 2023, Effect Hope spent $5.8m on its programs. Due to inconsistency in program reporting, Charity Intelligence could not determine a spending breakdown for Effect Hope’s four main programs: Find, Treat, Care, and Empower. Effect Hope appears to spend $590k (10% of program spending) on Canadian programs (Constituency Education). The charity does not report anything on its Constituency Education program.

Find: Effect Hope finds people at risk of NTDs to provide early diagnosis and intervention. The charity’s ASPIRE project in India screened over one million people, of which 736 were diagnosed with leprosy, 2,662 with lymphatic filariasis, and 2,798 with scabies. Effect Hope trained 4,520 healthcare professionals to recognize, treat, and refer people with NTDs. In 2023, EH diagnosed 8,622 new people with skin NTDs, of which 3,906 were women.

Treat: Effect Hope treats diseases to prevent disabilities and other complications. The charity provided 607 surgeries to restore mobility. EH reports that 21,422 newly diagnosed people received treatment, and 2,120,492 people were treated through Mass Drug Administration.

Care: Effect Hope provides care for those with NTDs. Services include physical needs aid, self-care training, and mental health support. In 2023, EH sent 4,801 pairs of customized protective footwear to restore mobility. The charity also reported 5,060 people received self-care training and 464 people received mental health counselling.

Empower: Effect Hope helps people with NTDs live full lives through education and skills training. The charity also advocates to drive change in the perception of NTDs. In 2023, EH trained 980 outreach workers to spread awareness about NTD symptoms and treatments. Effect Hope reports it reached 1,962,515 people through its awareness and education activities. In 2023, 2,862 people received skills training, 254 people received support for starting a small business, and 64,359 children were educated about symptoms and treatments for NTDs.

Effect Hope received $8.0m in donations in 2023. EH spent $5.8m on its programs, which is 68% of revenue. In 2023, Effect Hope recorded a surplus of $1.4m, which is 17% of revenue.

Administrative costs are 7% of revenue (less investment income), and fundraising costs are 9% of donations. Total overhead spending is 15%. For every dollar donated to Effect Hope, 85 cents are available to go to the cause, which is within Ci’s reasonable range.

EH has $7.0m in reserve funds (cash and investments), which can cover 121%, or one year and three months of its annual program costs.

In 2023, Effect Hope paid external fundraisers $139k to collect $155k. It costs Effect Hope 90 cents to raise a dollar using external fundraisers.

Charity Intelligence has sent this update to Effect Hope for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.  

Updated on May 29, 2024 by Liam Chapleau.