gwen's blog

When Humberto Mendoza Charris wanted to talk about diabetes in the late 1990s, it was often hard to find an audience. 

“Diabetes was perceived as a second- or third-order challenge, a disease of the upper and middle classes. There was a lot of ignorance about the suffering caused by its complications and its high costs to the health system,” recalls Mr Charris, Medical advisor for Public Health in the Mayor’s office of Barranquilla, Colombia.

Diabetes triples the risk of developing tuberculosis. The increasing prevalence of diabetes is therefore threatening a resurgence of tuberculosis, unless action is taken.

In 2016, the Jujersa Women and Child Welfare Organization set out on an ambitious effort to bring diabetes prevention and care to one of India’s most isolated areas. 

Guidelines published today by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) recommend that ‘at risk’ women (who have suffered a complication during pregnancy) have a postpartum follow up at 6-12 weeks and periodically thereafter. 

What’s the best way to help people lose weight, exercise more, and live healthier lives? Start with respect and collaboration - and build from there. 

That’s the recommendation of Diabetes South Africa, which has been teaching South African healthcare providers about diabetes and helping them improve their own health since 2008. 

It began in 2004 with a simple idea. By organising walks on November 14 - World Diabetes Day - organisations and individuals could raise awareness about diabetes, and how to prevent it. These walks would be low-cost, educational, and fun. WDF would help by providing banners, tools, and guidance.
 

BAGSVÆRD, DENMARK – The World Diabetes Foundation today announces the constitution of a new Board of Directors. The Board consists of Dr Anil Kapur (Chair), Ms Camilla Sylvest (Vice-chair), Ms Ida Nicolaisen, Dr Kaushik Ramaiya, Prof Abdallah Daar, and Mr Frederik Kier.

What interventions supported by WDF are the most effective? How can project learnings best be documented and communicated? How can this data support the investment case for diabetes and NCDs – ultimately helping developing countries save money and lives?

As WDF’s project portfolio has expanded in geographical scope, number and size in recent years, these questions have taken on increasing urgency, says WDF Managing Director Leif Fenger Jensen.

WDF signed four new projects in Africa and central Asia in the first half of 2019, and approved several others that are now in the final phases of contract negotiations.

The delegation arrived by boat. The group – seven staff from the Surinamese NGOs One Stop Shop and Medical Mission, and one from the World Diabetes Foundation – had travelled for hours to reach Ladoeani, a village on the banks of the Suriname River, and they received a warm welcome.