World Diabetes Foundation

Access to healthcare should not cost the moon and stars 🏥 Join NCD Alliance for this year's Global Week for Action on NCDs (15-22 Oct). This year, the campaign is dedicated to the theme of leadership, as we call on leaders to: ✅Implement NCD policies ✅Break down siloes in the response ✅Mobilise investments ✅Stay true to the promises ✅Involve people living with #NCDs Visit https://buff.ly/3B1R0Sq to see how you can get involved💪

Six years ago, Tikaram got diagnosed with diabetes. Today, at 70, he maintains a healthy and active lifestyle, thanks to the support and guidance of Kalpana, the local Female Community health Volunteer. Kalpana has taught him everything he knows about managing his condition and while enjoying life. She visits regularly to check on him and provide tips on hygiene and diet. Tikaram’s home, which he built himself, now harbours a beautiful garden where he grows beans, carrots, cabbage, greens, and onions. These fresh vegetables allow his wife to cook delicious and nutritious meals for him and the whole family. 🥦 Tikaram’s dedication to a healthy lifestyle has been a major inspiration for his family but also others in his community. He shows them that being active does not have to be burdensome, but rather something enjoyable. 🤸♂️ ’I started to dance a lot. I had no idea how to dance, but now I do it every day’, he shares, his face lighting up with a smile. Read Tikaram’s story here: https://buff.ly/3M8zpOK

🌍Today the world recognizes humanitarian efforts worldwide and advocates for the survival, well-being and dignity of people affected by crises, and for the safety and security of aid workers. 🤝At World Diabetes Foundation we support our partners in crisis-affected regions, seeking to sustain access to care for diabetes and other NCDs. We started 2024 strong when we joined global stakeholders at the Global High-Level Technical Meeting on NCDs in Humanitarian Settings in Copenhagen to discuss and advance integration of NCDs into humanitarian response frameworks. Together with governments, the UN, humanitarian agencies, and civil society, we're building resilient health systems and inclusive relief programs. 🤝 Our commitment to advocating for access to diabetes care, prevention, and support remains unwavering. See our partners in the film below; where amidst a protracted crisis in Jordan, the emphasis on reinforcing primary healthcare is pivotal. Through education sessions at health centers, people living with diabetes and hypertension are empowered to embrace self-management and health promotion alongside their treatment. 🎥This video was produced by BBC StoryWorks for the World Diabetes Foundation.

Before sharing a story of change with the Tanzanian Diabetes Association (TDA), we would like to jog your memory and ask you to recall the journey that led to what we now call the Tanzanian recipe for impact. 🌏

It all goes back to the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which called for comprehensive primary healthcare at a global level. After 16 years of partnership in Malawi programmes addressing chronic conditions – like type 1 diabetes – more comprehensively at lower levels of care are coming forward. ⏳ The progress of expanding NCD responses in these low-resource settings requires significant investment and governmental leadership, as well as integrating NCDs has been a long time coming. 💡 In Malawi’s third phase of its national NCD scale-up, type 1 diabetes is now a priority. 💪 This severe disease is often diagnosed during childhood or adolescence and requires life-long monitoring and treatment to ensure survival and avoid severe complications. "Up until now, we have supported 12 projects in Malawi, so we are overly thrilled to see how all these efforts have progressed into such a complex programme", reflects our colleague Mads Loftager Mundt on the nationwide effort prioritising people living with chronic conditions and expansion of the access to NCD care at the primary level. 📣 Find out more about Malawi's NCD journey: https://buff.ly/3YJjqhM

WDF funds six new projects 🎉 Since the beginning of 2024, we have approved funding for six new projects, with a combined approximate amount of 4 million EUR, to boost NCD prevention and primary care in Africa, Europe, the Western Pacific, and Southeast Asia. 🌏 These initiatives aim to strengthen health systems and improve community health. Projects include diabetes and hypertension management in Sierra Leone and Armenia and NCD risk reduction in Cambodia, the Marshall Islands, Nepal, and Georgia. 🩺 Find out more ➡ https://buff.ly/3QgbOvD

The longer a mother with gestational diabetes breastfeeds, the greater the protection against developing type 2 diabetes.📣 Dr Anil Kapur, a renowned diabetes expert and Chair of the WDF board, emphasised the above message in a conversation earlier this year.🎙️ Breastfeeding is not just a mother's gift to her child but also a shield for her health. At WDF, we champion primary prevention by addressing the determinants of health and diabetes risk factors for mothers worldwide.🌍 #WorldBreastfeedingWeek

Empowering healthcare professionals can transform communities that were previously underserved. Their knowledge, dedication, and advocacy can break down misconceptions, promote healthier lifestyles, and ultimately improve health outcomes. 💪 As part of the WDF-supported nationwide NCD programme in Liberia, over 750 healthcare professionals received training to provide leadership and services related to diabetes care at the selected health facilities. Hanna, a nurse and a peer educator, is one inspiring example. 💡 'Before the programme, diabetes was a fearful disease where you had to avoid all kinds of food,' she remembers. 'Once we trained, we learned that diabetes would not deny you food. You can get benefits from food that the body needs, and the same with the benefits of exercising. I enjoyed learning about that part.' 📚 Hannah is one of many people who have made the national NCD programme in Liberia a reality. 👏 Read about her story here: https://buff.ly/3RIrET3

Bridging diabetes care gaps with digital solutions: insights from Sri Lanka and Tanzania 🌍   We are thrilled to share the findings of a recent study conducted in collaboration with the RTI International Center for Global NCDs and the Ministries of Health in Sri Lanka and Tanzania.   Key Highlights 📊 Objective: To explore how digital technology solutions like Diabetes Compass can address diabetes care gaps in primary healthcare settings in Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Participants: The study was made possible by the active involvement of primary and secondary care practitioners, facility managers, patients, and family members across 25 health facilities in both countries. Findings: ·      Common Gaps: Practitioner training, health information systems, service delivery, infrastructure, and community awareness. ·      Digital Potential: Strong potential for digital solutions to improve early detection, diagnosis, secondary prevention of complications, and overall patient experience. Innovative Solutions: ·      Asynchronous training for practitioners. ·      Streamlined data entry and centralised information systems. ·      Offline functionality to overcome infrastructure constraints. ·      Enhanced communication between patients and practitioners.

Our colleagues Mikkel and Helen have travelled to Zimbabwe to visit our partner, SolidarMed. What they found was an unexpected yet remarkable outcome of our WDF-supported project. They encountered an inspiring group, the 'Male Association', who are actively breaking barriers and challenging the delay in men seeking healthcare. 💪 Globally, it's observed that men tend to seek healthcare less frequently, often waiting until their symptoms have significantly worsened, compared to women. This trend is especially pronounced in low and middle-income countries, where socio-cultural factors often amplify the delay in seeking healthcare, creating additional barriers to timely and effective treatment. 🌍 One member, a participant in the SolidarMed project we support, has become a passionate advocate for his community. 🗣️ He shares, "You can survive with the side effects, with the symptoms of diabetes. You get used to it. You come to realise naturally that if I feel dizzy, I must eat a plate of food. But that's not the correct way. So, we came to realise it was necessary to form an association. Why? So that we could go around and motivate one of our own, which is the other men, who are in the rural areas." 🤝 Stay tuned for more updates from Zimbabwe!