The Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Foundation began working to improve the health future of children and all citizens of Tajikistan in 2010.

At the request of the Tajik Ministry of Health (MOH), the Foundation agreed to assist in conducting a baseline study on helminth infection among the general population. This baseline infestation will allow the MOH to determine the effectiveness of the nationwide deworming campaign, which will be concluded by the end of 2011. This mass campaign against soil-transmitted helminthes is modeled on the Foundation’s successful deworming campaign in neighboring Kyrgyzstan. The deworming program targets nearly 4.5 million individuals throughout the country, with a special focus on school-aged children. The goal of the campaign, which will proceed according to WHO guidelines, is to decrease the infestation level of helminthes through direct treatment as well as intense educational activities for children and their families highlighting effective sanitary-hygienic practices designed to prevent reinfection.