News and Stories
Stepping from the Background to Center Stage
Daniel Mulowa, an 11-year-old with sickle cell disease, experienced a transformative week at an PEN-Plus camp last summer. The camp, held in Zambia for young people with sickle cell disease or type 1 diabetes, showed the power of peer support, health education, and empowerment.
‘Let’s Grow Together’: Voices for PEN-Plus Team Expands
Two sickle cell warriors from Kenya and two type 1 diabetes warriors, one from Uganda and the other from Zambia, recently joined the Network’s Voices for PEN-Plus advocacy program. “Your story makes a difference, your story has impact,” veteran Voices advocate Moses Echodu said in welcoming the newcomers. “And, importantly, your story is what will keep someone else hopeful.”
Transforming Pain into Power: Mentors Encourage Young Warriors to Become Advocates
Emmanuel Kisembo and Lwimba Kasongo—who live with type 1 diabetes and sickle cell disease, respectively—are tireless advocates for awareness and education about their conditions. They are members of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Voices for PEN-Plus program and were co-captains last summer at an integrated PEN-Plus camp in Zambia, where they mentored nearly 60 youth with noncommunicable diseases. In this article, they share their lived experience and reflections on mentorship, advocacy, and the power of integration in fostering peer support.
Peer Support a Growing Focus of Noncommunicable Disease Care
With peer support having proved to be a key component of PEN-Plus care, the NCDI Poverty Network is developing an integrated training program for peer educators. “We’ve seen beautiful examples of young people who are unafraid to speak boldly about their condition, to be advocates, to be champions,” said Dr. Colin Pfaff, the Network’s associate director of programs. “They are living successful lives and are examples to others, which has such a powerful impact.”
Celebrating the Network’s First Five Years
Five years. Twenty-nine countries. Over a hundred PEN-Plus clinics. More than 14,000 patients. Together, the many collaborators that compose the NCDI Poverty Network deliver hope and healthcare to children, adolescents, and young adults navigating the dual challenges of poverty and severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. And this is just the beginning.
‘A Real Winning Strategy’: New Partnership Aims to Improve Global Access to Type 1 Diabetes Care
ALIGN-T1D includes global funders of type 1 diabetes programs, leading producers of diabetes medicines and technologies, and members of the worldwide type 1 diabetes community.
‘Your Future Ends Here’ - Diabetes Warrior Bounces Back from Stigma
Naomi Mwila was attending college for civil engineering, planning her career, and dreaming of a bright future until a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes changed her entire outlook, as a college professor told her that her condition meant she no longer had anything to live for. Then an integrated PEN-Plus camp restored her ability to dream.
PHOTO GALLERY: Camp Tuli Bonse, Lusaka, Zambia
Photos from the weeklong camp show joy, education, and empowerment, as young people living with type 1 diabetes or sickle cell disease shared experiences, learned about managing their health and, above all, discovered they were not alone.
‘I Am a Warrior’: PEN-Plus Camp Shows the Power of Peer Support for Young People Living with Severe NCDs
“I am a warrior. I am brave. I am triumphant.” With that mantra, participants in Camp Tuli Bonse—an integrated camp for young people living in Zambia with type 1 diabetes or sickle cell disease—learned how a sense of unity can confer benefits beyond physical health.
African Health Leaders Call for a Greater Investment in Integrated Models of Care
Dr. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network, represented PEN-Plus at a high-level side event during the recent 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa. There delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Open for Care: Zambia Cuts the Ribbon on Fourth and Fifth PEN-Plus Clinics
Zambia health officials recently opened the country’s fourth and fifth PEN-Plus clinics, marking both occasions within weeks of launching the country’s national operating plan for the care of people living with severe noncommunicable diseases. Both new clinics have received support from the Scottish Government.
Health Leaders Commit to Accelerating PEN-Plus in Africa
At the second International Conference for PEN-Plus in Africa, recently held in Abuja, health leaders, policymakers, and development partners across Africa renewed their commitment to an accelerated implementation of the PEN-Plus to significantly expand access to care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.
Zambia Launches National Operational Plan
Zambia health officials recently took a significant step forward in PEN-Plus implementation with the launch of a national operational plan to support and expand care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, or CIDRZ, a PEN-Plus implementing partner working with the NCDI Poverty Network, hosted a launch event in Lusaka.
Camp to Bring Together Youth Living with Severe Conditions for Fun, Solidarity, and Support
Camp Tuli Bonse, an integrated summer camp, will bring together about 60 children, adolescents, and young adults living with either type 1 diabetes or sickle cell disease for a week of health education, support, solidarity, and fun in Chongwe, Zambia, from August 18 to 22.
Examining the Patient’s Entire Journey
The NCDI Poverty Network’s second study in a trio assessing 16 health facilities across nine countries in 2022–23, before PEN-Plus implementation, focuses on how providers deliver care, from screening and diagnosis through treatment and long-term support.
Study Shows Medicine and Equipment Gaps in Advance of PEN-Plus
A newly published study found that only two of 16 health facilities assessed in nine lower-income countries had all the functional equipment needed to diagnose and manage care for people living with type 1 diabetes. Two of the facilities had none of the necessary equipment.
Creating a Training “Echo”
A recent intensive teaching course aimed to turn care providers already proficient in echocardiography into master trainers. Held in Kenya, the weeklong session included care providers from five countries.
WHO AFRO Publishes Landmark PEN-Plus Report
The WHO Regional Office for Africa recently published a landmark report that details the impact and momentum of the PEN-Plus model, providing a valuable tool for advocacy and information about integrated care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases.
Training the Warrior Trainers
Two NCDI Poverty Network physicians lent their expertise during a recent diabetes training workshop that the Sonia Nabeta Foundation hosted in Uganda.
CIDRZ Hosts Diabetes Boot Camp in Zambia
In August, CIDRZ held a four-day boot camp for young people living with type 1 diabetes in Zambia. The camp combined entertainment and sports activities with education on self-management of the condition.