gwen's blog

A new partnership with WHO/ Europe will improve access for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in primary care in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The main beneficiaries will be people with diabetes and their families and carers, particularly those of a lower socio-economic status.

The three-year project, Improving access for prevention and control of NCDs in Primary Care in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, is supported by a 900.000 USD grant from the World Diabetes Foundation.

In 2021, NCD Alliance launched the series Turning the Tide to draw attention to bold actions addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that are being carried out by communities and organisations. The series, which was produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions, reached more than 128 million people across the globe. 

For four weeks, more than 40 storytellers and healthcare representatives gathered online to explore ideas for creative communication products to improve diabetes awareness in India. They were selected for their qualifications and enthusiasm, taught innovation methodology, and inspired by guest speakers including Dr Anil Kapur, Chairman of the World Diabetes Foundation, Rohit Gandhi, journalist and filmmaker, and Rhea Lobo, TB activist and journalist. 

A major new initiative from the World Diabetes Foundation – The Diabetes Compass – kicked off in late spring 2021 with the ambition to support health workers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) delivering the right diabetes care at the right time. 

In 2019, an ambitious new effort to improve the lives of indigenous communities in central and Latin America began. 

Today, too many children with type 1 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are not diagnosed due to lack of knowledge or capacity in their local health systems, resulting in thousands of premature deaths. If they are diagnosed, many have inconsistent access to care or receive inadequate education and support.

What inspired you? WDF asked this question of our 2021 Walk organisers – and received some poignant responses. One of them was from Anthea Usher of Cape Town, South Africa. 

Anthea’s daughter, Caylee, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 12 years old. Caylee struggled with the disease and its daily challenges, Anthea recalls – the insulin injections and glucose tests, the new dietary rules, and the effects of a complex chronic disease on her schoolwork and social life.

In 2014, there was only one place where the roughly 40,000 residents of Comoros, an archipelago of volcanic islands situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, could receive diabetes care - the National Hospital, El-Maarouf on the island of Mohéli. 

WDF’s first new partnerships of 2021 are a wide-ranging and ambitious group. Two address the urgent global issues of COVID-19 and humanitarian crises. Some, such as the project in Lesotho, mark the Foundation’s first partnership in the country  , while others, such as the Phase II project in Palestine, build on long-term relationships and learnings. 

Still other projects, in Canada and India, represent innovative new approaches to diabetes prevention and financing for diabetes care.

The Diabetes Storytelling Lab is looking for 50 innovative storytellers and community leaders in India to develop creative communication products that can support diabetes awareness in India.