gwen's blog

Fieldwork explores life with diabetes in Zanzibar

A man with diabetes with his doctor and family during an interview in Kivunge, Zanzibar. Photo by Anna Knauer Elley
In Zanzibar, close family members often have a strong influence on the decisions people with diabetes make about their treatment – and how well they comply with that treatment. 
 
In response, the local health system should increase its focus on the role of family in diabetes patients’ care, acknowledging that patients are closely integrated in a larger social network in order to secure more effective treatment and better outcomes. 
 

Diabetes in Pregnancy Photo Contest deadline extended

Diabetes in Pregnancy photo contest
Contest deadline has been extended to 1 March 2018.
In 1 in 7 pregnancies, the mother's blood sugar is periodically or consistently too high — and the vast majority of women and babies affected live in low-and middle-income countries.
 
To raise awareness about this serious – and preventable - threat to women and children, the World Diabetes Foundation and Women Deliver launched the Diabetes in Pregnancy Photo Contest on World Diabetes Day 2017. The deadline has been extended to 1 March, 2018.
 

WDF funds 16 new projects in second half of 2017

Cameroon_Douala
Staff from a clinic for children with type 1 diabetes in Cameroon, where WDF has launched a series of new projects.

Below is a list of the new partnership projects that received WDF funding in the second six months of 2017. (Several advocacy projects also received funding in the second half of the year; these are not listed.)  

Links to project descriptions will be added as they become available.

New projects signed in second half of 2017

Fundraiser project brings diabetes foot care to Myanmar

Ms Daw Aye Aye Than receiving foot care at the new diabetes foot clinic at hospital UM1 in Yangon.
On a warm November day in Yangon, a neatly dressed 49-year-old woman sat stoically behind a wood and glass partition at University Hospital UM1, her legs outstretched in front of her. A nurse swabbed her left foot gently, cleaning the space around her recently amputated second toe. The woman cringed, but made no sound.
 
“She has pain,” acknowledged Moe Wint Aung, Professor in endocrinology in the Department of Endocrine. “We would like to give her some analgesic spray, but we have a shortage of this good material for pain.”
 

On World Diabetes Day, a needed focus on women and girls

Diabetes educator nurses, Sri Lanka
Diabetes educator nurses in Sri Lanka, where a WDF-supported national NCD response is helping women reduce their diabetes risks. Photo by Jesper Westley.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been the leading causes of death among women globally for at least the past three decades. Today, they are responsible for two in every three deaths among women. What’s worse, the NCD burden on women is expected to increase, especially in low and middle income countries.  
 
Why are women suffering disproportionately from diabetes, and what can be done about it? 
 

New WDF Director: Partners can expect the same, and more

Leif Fenger, WDF Managing Director
Leif Fenger Jensen brings 25 years of international experience to his role as WDF Managing Director.
When Mr Leif Fenger Jensen assumed the role of World Diabetes Foundation Managing Director on 1 November, it was both a return to familiar territory, and a new start. 
 
Mr Jensen helped create the WDF, served as its first Managing Director from 2002-2005, and served as the Vice Chairman of its Board from 2005-2017. Yet he resumes the Managing Director role in a Foundation that is much changed – with 15 years of experience, global reach, and a growing demand for its expertise.
 

WDF announces changes to its Board of Directors

GENTOFTE, DENMARK – The World Diabetes Foundation today announced the constitution of a new Board of Directors. The Board consists of Dr Anil Kapur (Chairman), Mr Mike Rulis (Vice Chairman), Ms Ida Nicolaisen, Dr Kaushik Ramaiya, Prof Abdallah Daar, and Mr Frederik Kier.
 
Mr Mike Rulis is Senior Vice President of Communication, Relations & Sustainability at Novo Nordisk A/S, and based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He joined Novo Industri A/S in 1984 and since he held different managerial roles with increasing responsibilities within the company. 

Asian Geographic article explores diabetes toll in Asia

Asian Geographic No 127 Issue 5 2017
Mohamad Larook, a Sri Lankan man who lost a leg and his sight to diabetes, is among the patients portrayed in an article about diabetes in Asia.
The Silent Epidemic, an article in Asian Geographic’s September 2017 issue, begins with a devastating scene: relatives gathered around the bedside of a farmer who has just had his leg amputated. They came to raise his spirits, but were concerned, the man’s son confided. Tending the crops and getting follow-up care were just a few of the challenges ahead.
 

Walk2017: Jain Hospital takes the lead

Jain Hospital Walk India 2016
The 2016 Jain Hospital Walk campaign reached new levels – and this year’s campaign promises to be larger still.
In 2016, Jain Hospital arranged Walks in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh involving more than 75,000 participants. How was this accomplished? Dr Rajesh Jain, the facilitator of the campaign, explains. 
 
Dr Jain’s first WDF project was WDF12-678, providing support to gestational diabetes prevention and control in Uttar Pradesh. His second project was WDF15-951, redefining and expanding Uttar Pradesh’s state NCD response, was approved in 2016.