‘Let’s Grow Together’: Voices for PEN-Plus Team Expands
Four new members receive greetings and guidance from veteran advocates.
Christine Nabatantzi, who lives with type 1 diabetes, works for the Sonia Nabeta Foundation as a certified warrior educator at the type 1 diabetes clinic at the Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in eastern Uganda. (Photo: Courtesy of the Sonia Nabeta Foundation)
As four new advocates formally joined the Voices for PEN-Plus team during a video meeting in late March, current members of the global advocacy group welcomed them with greetings and guidance— including, as one veteran member said, to always remember why they’re there.
“Your story makes a difference, your story has impact,” Moses Echodu said. “And, importantly, your story is what will keep someone else hopeful.”
Echodu, himself, has kept many young people hopeful over the years. A childhood cancer survivor from Kampala, Uganda, he is the executive director of the Uganda Child Cancer Foundation. He has also served as a Voices of NCDI Poverty Advocacy Fellow, a role that transitioned into his membership with Voices for PEN-Plus, where his upbeat personality brings laughter and energy to meetings and events. Now, he is part of an experienced group of advocates who are ready to take new members under their wing.
“I’ve been part of this program for five years now,” Echodu told the new members, “and I must say, there is always something new to learn.”
A New Chapter for the Program
Voices for PEN-Plus launched in September 2023. The program builds solidarity among people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases and advocates for PEN-Plus implementation across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Each advocate lives with a severe, chronic noncommunicable condition—such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease—and is from a country already engaged with PEN-Plus.
Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate director of advocacy for the NCDI Poverty Network and convener of the Voices team, said the new members—who bring the total number of Voices advocates to 17—were selected from a pool of 36 applicants.
“It’s a great group,” Dr. Gomber said. “All of them are active in advocacy work already.”
Formal advocacy training through the Voices program, Dr. Gomber said, will familiarize the new members with the PEN-Plus model of integrated care for severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases, and prepare them to join current members in advocating for people with lived experience in global, national, and local policy discussions and decisions.
Wisdom from the Veterans
During the March meeting, veteran Voices shared their excitement on behalf of their new colleagues.
“You will learn from each other, you will network, and you will grow,” said Neema Mohamed, a sickle cell warrior and advocate from Tanzania. “Let’s grow together.”
Edith Mukantwari, a nutritionist and diabetes educator in Uganda with 20 years of lived experience with type 1 diabetes, advised new members to take time to learn about each other, share information about their advocacy work, and prepare to use their voices for positive change.
“There are Voices advocates here who are deeply embedded in national and international networks,” said Mukantwari, who also serves as executive director of the Africa Diabetes Alliance. “You will be given a platform to represent all of us, so get ready for that.”
New member Hellen Adhiambo indicated that she’s more than ready for the challenge.
“I’m glad to be part of this team, and I’m looking forward to learning from all your advocacy work,” she told the group, before voicing a core advocacy principle of people with lived experience.
“There is nothing for us, without us.”
Introducing the New Members
Hellen Adhiambo, Sickle Cell Warrior from Kenya
Hellen Adhiambo is an early-childhood educator living in western Kenya’s Siaya County. She is also the executive director of Lending Hands Initiative, a patient-led organization that supports children living with sickle cell disease and their caregivers through awareness, psychosocial support, and improved access to care.
Drawing from her lived experience with sickle cell disease, Adhiambo leads community-driven initiatives across Siaya County, including caregiver education on home-based management, targeted awareness for adolescents and young people in and out of school, amplifying caregiver voices through a growing support network, and coordinating timely access to blood for children needing transfusions. Adhiambo also mobilizes resources to support families with hydroxyurea and uses storytelling to elevate patient and caregiver experiences.
“I’m committed,” she said, “to advancing patient-led solutions, strengthening community health systems, and ensuring that no child with sickle cell disease is left behind.”
Benjamin Mafale, Type 1 Diabetes Warrior from Zambia
Benjamin Mafale lives in Kitwe District, Zambia, where he is a passionate advocate for young people living with type 1 diabetes and other severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Mafale received his own diagnosis with type 1 diabetes more than a decade ago. His work since then has focused on increasing sensitization, education, and awareness about noncommunicable diseases, to improve care and support for people of all ages.
“I am eager to join the Voices for PEN-Plus program to learn, amplify advocacy efforts and community involvement, and share experiences with global peers,” he said.
Christine Nabatanzi, Type 1 Diabetes Warrior from Uganda
Christine Nabatantzi, who lives with type 1 diabetes in the Buikwe District of central Uganda, works in the type 1 diabetes clinic at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital as a warrior coordinator for the Sonia Nabeta Foundation. As a certified warrior educator, she also supports children and families affected by type 1 diabetes in low-resource settings.
An experienced public speaker, Nabatantzi represented her Buikwe District community at the World Diabetes Federation’s international meeting in February 2025 in Denmark, where she received a standing ovation for her address.
Through her advocacy work, she emphasizes that—beyond access to insulin—dignity, equity, and lived experience must remain at the heart of all care models. Nabatanzi holds a certificate in education and a diploma in special needs education.
“I am passionate about education and improving awareness in my community,” she said, adding that she strives to ground her work in compassion.
Michelle Omullo, Sickle Cell Warrior from Kenya
Michelle Omullo lives with sickle cell disease in the Nyanza Region of western Kenya. There she is a filmmaker and advocate who uses storytelling as a tool to share lived experiences, inspire change, and support children, adolescents, and other young people living with sickle cell disease.
“I am a warrior—I’m a fighter,” she said. “That’s who I am.”
Her journey with sickle cell disease shapes the narratives of her films, which center on resilience, identity, and the realities of chronic illness.
“Through film, I amplify voices that are often unheard and challenge stigma within my community and beyond,” she said. “I am committed to creating impactful, inclusive stories that educate, empower, and spark meaningful conversations.”