Noma is a gangrenous infection starting in the mouth caused by extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor hygiene The disease kills up to 90 percent of people it affects. Those who survive the acute phase suffer severe destruction of facial tissue and bones and live with debilitating deformities that prevent them from having a healthy life.

The WHO estimates noma affects 140,000 people every year. It can be prevented by improving general conditions of life and access to healthcare.

‘Restoring Dignity’ is a 52-minute documentary following the stories of several noma survivors in Northwest Nigeria. The film offers a glimpse in survivors’ lives and follows their struggles and achievements over the course of a year. 

‘The camerawork is sensitive, lingering on the ravages of noma when necessary, but often shifting the focus to the uninjured side of the face.’ — The Lancet, April 2020
 

Speakers:

• Claire Jeantet, Filmmaker (Inediz) and Noma campaign manager (MSF)
• Fidel Strub, Noma advocate and President of Noma-Aid Switzerland
• Mulikat Okanlawon, Noma advocate and Hygiene Officer at the Noma Hospital in Sokoto (Nigeria)
• Isah Shafi’u, Chief Medical Director at the Noma Hospital in Sokoto (Nigeria)
• Mark Sherlock, Health advisor, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Moderator:

• Tammam Aloudat, Managing Director, Global Health Center, Geneva Graduate Institute 

This event is co-organized by:

• Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)