KalaCORE: A Programme to Tackle Visceral Leishmaniasis in South Asia and East Africa (2014–2019)

“Tackling Visceral Leishmaniasis in South Asia and East Africa” (also known as KalaCORE), a UK AID funded programme, worked in two regions with the greatest burden of visceral leishmaniasis (VL)—East Africa (South Sudan, Sudan and Ethiopia) and South Asia (India, Bangladesh and Nepal) between April 2014 and June 2019. The overall aim of the KalaCORE programme was to sustainably reduce the economic and health impact of VL in the two regions. KalaCORE’s key strategies were to: (a) increase access to diagnosis, treatment and prevention, (b) improve surveillance and control of outbreaks of VL, (c) improve data on VL mortality and morbidity, (d) increase quality of diagnosis and treatment and (e) engage with communities impacted by VL. In this chapter, we present the outcomes of the programme, the challenges faced in achieving these objectives, their implementation and sustainability, as well as lessons learned.