Moses Echodu
Childhood Cancer Survivor from Uganda
Moses Echodu, a childhood cancer survivor from Kampala, Uganda, is program director of the Uganda Child Cancer Foundation.
While serving as a Voices of NCDI Poverty Advocacy Fellow, Moses spearheaded outreach activities with youth in Uganda to build awareness for cancer and other severe noncommunicable diseases through printed educational materials, radio shows, and screening campaigns. He has spent the past decade building cancer awareness among young people and advocating for policies to improve access to cancer services for young people through his 3C program, which engages youth in secondary schools.
Echodu was one the first eight advocates to join the NCDI Poverty Network’s Voices for PEN-Plus program, which launched in September 2023.
Stories with Moses Echodu
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.”
In recognition of World Diabetes Day, educator and advocate Edith Mukantwari shares her personal story of living with type 1 diabetes in Uganda, the lessons she’s learned, and the importance of a supportive community.
At the first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, the science was serious and the messages meaningful. NCDI Poverty Network participants showed their passion and compassion throughout the conference—and even shared moments of levity.
Following the International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, the NCDI Poverty Network hosted the first Voices for PEN-Plus Advocacy Summit. The event, held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on April 26, brought stakeholders together to brainstorm ideas for increasing the scope and effectiveness of advocacy initiatives.
In addition to participating in the first International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, NCDI Poverty Network members took several occasions to gather, reflect, and renew their commitment to ensuring that lifesaving treatment reaches those who need it most.
The Uganda Ministry of Health, the local government of the Kumi District, and the Uganda Initiative for Integrated Management of Noncommunicable Diseases hosted a celebration of the launch of PEN-Plus in Uganda on 23 November.
“We know what is best for us,” said Anu Gomanju, a person living with rheumatic heart disease in Nepal. “That’s why our needs and voices need to be prioritized.”
Gomanju made that statement in late September, during the online launch event for Voices for PEN-Plus. Sponsored by the NCDI Poverty Network, Voices for PEN-Plus brings together people living with severe, chronic, noncommunicable conditions to advocate for PEN-Plus implementation in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
The Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity (CIS) hosted its inaugural symposium on Thursday, 10 November 2022 at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School (HMS).
“I fought cancer and won, and now I’m fighting the stigma that people with NCDs are doomed to die, because everyone deserves access to affordable NCD treatment,” says Moses Echodu. “I hope others who have lived with cancer and other NCDs will feel empowered to share their stories to break down stigma and demand access to treatment for all.“