2026 Fundraiser – India
WDF’s 2026 fundraiser “Beyond Clinics” aims to improve diabetes and hypertension prevention and care for marginalised adults in urban and peri‑urban Bengaluru by strengthening community‑based outreach, expanding screening, and building the capacity of local health workers and community groups to ensure long‑term, people‑centred support.
India is experiencing a sharp rise in Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (HTN), with urban and peri-urban communities increasingly affected.
In Bengaluru, over one in five adults has diabetes, and underserved groups like daily-wage laborers, migrants, and informal workers are particularly vulnerable. Social and economic barriers, stigma, and weak health-system links delay diagnosis and limit effective management, resulting in preventable complications and financial hardship. There is an urgent need to deliver prevention, education, screening, and long-term management directly to these populations through inclusive, community-centered approaches.
WDF’s 2026 fundraiser, “Beyond Clinics: Building a Community Anchoured Diabetes and Hypertension Care Continuum for Urban and Periurban Marginalised Groups,” by Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT), aims to establish a scalable model for DM–HTN prevention and management, focused on vulnerable communities served by the Roopena Agrahara Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) in Bengaluru.
Project activities
Over an 18-month period, this project, led by KHPT in close collaboration with the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the Department of Health and Family Welfare (Government of Karnataka), and local community-based organisations, will focus on adults over the age of 30 living in vulnerable urban and peri-urban communities. In addition, the project aims to train and support health workers, peer educators, and community organisations to effectively manage and address diabetes and hypertension in these populations.
Its activities include:
- Peer-led education and behaviour change
Trained peer educators from marginalised groups will lead local campaigns, digital outreach, and community sessions to encourage early screening and reduce stigma.
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Community-based screening and support
Engage local community structures such as women's health collectives (Mahila Arogya Samitis) and self-help groups to lead culturally sensitive outreach and strengthen linkages to public systems of care.
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Health-system strengthening
Support will be provided to primary healthcare teams to deliver standardised, respectful, and person-centered DM–HTN services. This includes training facility staff, frontline workers, and community facilitators on government protocols, digital line-listing, and follow-up systems (using AI-enabled platforms), ensuring care is equitable, continuous, and responsive to underserved populations.
Key outputs
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At least 7,000 households (population ~26,500) in vulnerable clusters reached for community screening and early diagnosis.
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Improved treatment adherence and metabolic control, reducing DM and HTN related complications.
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Strengthened community engagement and health facility responsiveness through participatory mechanisms and 120 community support group sessions in collaboration with Mahila Arogya Samitis and Self Help Groups.
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Enhanced capacity of frontline health workers, community facilitators and institutional staff in DMHTN prevention, screening and management.