WDF funds 9 projects in the second half of 2023

The latest projects’ objectives range from multi-country advocacy initiatives and prevention of diabetic complications among refugee communities to local prevention and care for diabetes and hypertension, and data collection to improve future efforts to combat NCDs and their risk factors.

The programmes span countries in five out of the seven International Diabetes Federation regions: South and Central America, Africa, Middle East and North Africa, North America and the Caribbean, and South-East Asia. 

A project rolled out by the East African NCD Alliance aims for large-scale multi-country advocacy and awareness initiatives promoting equal access to health by engaging media, communities and legislators, targeting Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and DRC. 

In Syria and Lebanon, the latest project supported by WDF would improve diabetes care for Palestinian refugees, with a focus on preventing diabetic foot and retinopathy complications through capacity-building efforts. It builds on diverse initiatives with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and it aims to scale up successful interventions from a completed WDF fundraiser project in Jordan focusing on foot care.  

A project implemented by the Southeast Asia Regional Office of World Health Organisation (WHO) in Timor-Leste aims to create awareness, detect more people with diabetes, and improve care in one municipality. The project will also support screening and management of diabetes and tuberculosis and improved detection and management of gestational diabetes to strengthen antenatal care and patient outcomes.  

In Guatemala, the latest programme supports a national diabetes and hypertension care model emphasising capacity-building by implementing the WHO HEARTS model. Another focus is establishing a monitoring and evaluation system and a communication strategy to raise awareness about diabetes and hypertension and the importance of timely detection and treatment. 

Another project signed in 2023 is a continuation of the collaboration between WDF, the French Development Agency, and Santé Diabète, aiming to build upon previous successful interventions for diabetes care across Burkina Faso, Mali and the Comoros. It seeks to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations to lead preventative initiatives while improving diabetes care quality, focusing on foot care and promoting knowledge on Health Information Platforms. 

In Malawi, the latest programme is a scale-up of the strategies to advance the implementation and integration of care through partner development and coordination capacity with Ministry of Health collaborators, health facilities, patient groups, and implementing partners. The goal is to raise awareness of NCDs and the benefits of healthy lifestyles, improve screening for NCDs, and enhance access to quality care at primary care level. 

In Ghana and Uganda, a four-year project led by WHO aims to catalyse an accelerated response to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, building upon the momentum developed with the Global Diabetes Compact (GDC) globally and in the African region. 

Partners in Kenya are strongly committed to a new ambitious project implemented by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (MoH) to advance NCD prevention and control through primary health care. More precisely, the project is a large-scale NCD programme launched by the Kenyan MoH on World Diabetes Day 2023 with positive engagement at a national level. 

Finally, a new project in the Dominican Republic aims to support improved care for people with diabetes and hypertension and data collection on NCDs and their risk factors. It will include a strategy for creating awareness on the prevention of diabetes and hypertension and the adoption of healthy lifestyles as well as establishing an oversight and monitoring system for systematic tracking of HEARTS strategy implementation in first level care centres, among other objectives.  

Projects signed in H2 2023