More hands to lift the burden

The year 2007 has been a turning point for the World Diabetes Foundation. Growing from fifteen odd projects in the first year of existence in 2002, today the Foundation has funded 138 projects covering 77 countries. In 2008, a few new staff members have joined the Secretariat.
 
When Programme Manager, Mrs. Sanne Frost Helt joined WDF in 2003, the number of projects was limited, but; “in the last couple of years, WDF has become more visible to potential applicants through regional activities and our image building platforms such as the WDF Diabetes Summits in Vietnam in 2006 and Diabetes Summit Africa 2007 and other major diabetes stakeholder events” she explains. As a consequence of a steadily growing project portfolio, this January two new Programme Coordinators have joined the programme section to assist Programme Manager, Mrs.Sanne Frost Helt and Programme Coordinator Mr.Ulrik Uldall Nielsen.

Dedicated to East Asia

Ms. Hanne Strandgaard has a background as Technical Officer in the WHO Mekong region. She worked as the focal point for neglected tropical diseases in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Taking on this position in the secretariat she moves from the area of communicable to non-communicable diseases, and brings with her skills in project implementation and management, proposal writing as well as her networking and advocacy experiences. 

“Learning more about the Foundation, I was surprised by the magnitude of the diabetes problem in the developing countries”, she says and hopes her experience of bringing attention to neglected causes can benefit the Foundation. Ms Strandgaard has a Master and a PhD in Biology and will mainly be dedicated to projects in East Asia as well as on projects related to foot complications.

Focusing on retinopathy

Mrs. Astrid Hasselbalch has a Master in Human Geography and a background as an organisational advisor in Zambia, working with an agricultural project run by Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke/ Danish Association for International Cooperation. Beside her field experience, her skills in the English, Spanish and French and a course in tropical medicine are expected to greatly benefit the Foundation.

Astrid is on of four new faces joining the Foundation in 2008.

“During my three years in Zambia, my attention was drawn to the many people suffering from diabetes without access to proper diabetes care”, says Astrid, who explains her personal interest in diabetes as her husband is living with type 1 diabetes; “Still, it was new to me that numbers are growing so rapidly. I can only imagine how the diabetes burden inevitably will affect the development of the developing countries negatively”. Mrs. Hasselbalch will mainly be dedicated to projects in located in Latin America and French speaking parts of Africa and she will be the focal point for diabetic retinopathy.

Programme section catches up

As the Programme Manager, Mrs. Sanne Frost Helt will focus on national programmes and maintaining and developing alliances and networks. Mr. Ulrik Uldall Nielsen will continue to focus on areas related to mothers and children at risk of diabetes and projects targeting primary prevention. Geographically, he covers countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. While two student assistants currently assist the programme section in day to day business, a programme assistant will also be recruited in the spring of 2008.

“With a strengthened programme section, I am happy to say that we will again be able to catch up and continue to work as closely as needed with existing and new project partners”, says Dr. Anil Kapur, Managing Director of the World Diabetes Foundation.

An external survey among stakeholders showed that project partners appreciated that the Foundation engaged in dialogue and worked with them as equals towards the common goal to improve the lives of people with diabetes. “To have that good relationship and partnership with each of our partners will also be important in the future, and this is reached not only by having the capacity to visit projects frequently, but also by having the time to pick up the phone and address issues so that the projects can be kept on track”, says Mrs.Sanne Frost Helt; “In the end; the devotion and success of our project partners will be critical factors to ensure overall sustainability of the projects that in the end will positively affect our mission.” 

To stress on the role WDF plays; “the best way to sustain the local drive, devotion and dedication is for the WDF secretariat to be perceived as a helpful, non bureaucratic, deeply interested, and capable and knowledgeable sparring partner “ says Anil Kapur. “The expansion brings into the programme section a few skills that were missing earlier”, he adds. 

In addition to the expansion in the programme section, Ms.Eva Holt has joined the secretariat as Administration Assistant in place of Mrs.Nanna Schmidt Pedersen who left the Foundation to return back to her original employer. Ms. Eva Holt has been working next to the Foundation for years as the receptionist in the office building, where the Foundation is located. She brings with her several years of experience as an assistant within the public administration in Denmark as well as an air hostess. Safely landed in the Foundation, she will assist the secretariat with the daily tasks.

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This page was last updated 2-6-2008 by jrb.wdf