NCDI Poverty Network

04/17/2026

Proud to have Lwimba as part of the Voices for PEN-Plus initiative, which promotes peer support, shared experiences, awareness and advocacy to improve care and resources for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases ( ). Breaking down barriers and raising awareness starts in the community. Together, we all can .

CIDRZ - the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia

04/03/2026

As global health funding continues to face challenges, a four-paper series being prepared for publication in The Lancet will provide the case for integration science as a tool for unlocking significant gains in health equity worldwide.

More than 50 authors from dozens of countries are writing the papers. These experts represent a range of organizations and include academics, ministry officials, and people with lived experience from across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

“We’ve been seeing countries independently moving toward integrated care delivery out of necessity, but these efforts are often fragmented and narrow,” said Dr. Gene Bukhman, lead author of the series. “Integration science provides a data-driven methodology to make these efforts more comprehensive and effective. And, when you combine integrated delivery models with integrated social movements, you create the conditions for real progress in global health equity.”

As global health funding continues to evolve, more than 50 experts from dozens of countries are preparing for publication a new four-paper series that will offer integration science as a tool for unlocking significant gains in health equity worldwide. These collaborators represent a range of organiz

04/02/2026

Wonderful to see advocacy and education in action! Bravo to the incredible team CIDRZ - the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia.

03/27/2026

Proud to partner with World Health Organization African Region and Clinton Health Access Initiative to support Ministry of Health Eswatini in strengthening care for severe, chronic NCDs.

The Network has helped establish the kingdom's NCDI Poverty Commission, which has completed a baseline PEN-Plus assessment and is currently developing a National Operational Plan for PEN-Plus, the integrated model of care and package of clinical services that brings NCD care closer to home.

Mbabane— In a major move to increase access to care for severe noncommunicable diseases such as type 1 diabetes, sickle‑cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart diseases, Eswatini is preparing to implement the World Health Organization (WHO)’s PEN‑Plus model.

03/24/2026

Exciting to see PEN-Plus highlighted in this article by Nature Africa and Sharon Shaatra Muzaki Namono. As medical innovations emerge for such as disease, strong health systems will be vital for equitably reaching patients. “These therapies require healthcare infrastructure, trained personnel, and long-term follow-up,” says Dr. Gene Bukhman, our co-chair, a cardiologist and global health researcher at Harvard Medical School. “Without strengthening district hospitals and referral networks, most patients will not benefit from these advances.”

Gene-editing breakthroughs are bringing curative therapies closer to reality. The challenge now is ensuring African health systems are ready to deliver them.

03/12/2026

Integrated care in action! Training clinicians across departments in care for type one and other supports accurate diagnoses and smooth referrals, ultimately saving lives. We're proud to partner with SolidarMed Zimbabwe to support integrated care models like , and make health care more equitable for all.

03/04/2026

Umu Barrie was on her way to a class at Njala University in southern Sierra Leone when she suddenly collapsed. Her friends rushed her to a nearby emergency department, but by the time they arrived, she had already lost consciousness.

Read her story:

https://www.ncdipoverty.org/blog/umu-barrie



PIH Sierra Leone

Thanks to her continued care at the PEN-Plus clinic in Koidu, Umu Barrie was able to complete her studies and begin her career as a teacher. “Receiving this treatment has encouraged me to be a role model,” she said. “I am now living my life to the full, and I want to help other people with dia...

03/03/2026

opened its first PEN-Plus clinics in two rural districts in mid-December, marking a significant step forward for providing integrated, decentralized care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases ( ).

The new PEN-Plus clinics are part of Mfou and Djoum district hospitals. Cameroon’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization African Region have driven the multiyear, collaborative work to implement PEN-Plus, which is a model for integrated care and a package of clinical services for people living with severe, chronic NCDs such as type 1 , , and rheumatic and congenital .

The clinics at Mfou and Djoum district hospitals arose from years of collaboration driven by Cameroon’s Ministry of Health and the WHO Regional Office for Africa, with boosts from an informal coalition of health officials in Francophone countries.

02/25/2026

🗓️ is set for June 23-26, as the third annual event returns to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with bigger-than-ever aspirations for celebrating, motivating and propelling PEN-Plus, which is changing the game for child health and care for severe noncommunicable diseases ( ) across the African continent. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for updates!

World Health Organization African Region

02/19/2026

An amazing thing about Ashley and young people like her is that so often, young people who receive lifesaving care for a curable condition say they hope to become doctors themselves one day. Because, of course, they know what it means. They know how enormous the impacts are, not only for themselves but for their families and communities. She truly has reclaimed her future, and changed perceptions and stigma while doing so. Thank you to SolidarMed Zimbabwe for sharing this incredible story, and for their incredible work.

02/13/2026

For several years, teenager Yismaw Nigussie would regularly trek through the rugged terrain of South Gondar Zone in northern Ethiopia, followed by a 60-kilometer ride on public transportation, to reach lifesaving medical care for his type 1 .

His declining health forced him to quit school in the fourth grade, in order to work and sell firewood to pay for medical costs.

His life finally changed during a visit to the PEN-Plus program at Addis Zemen Primary Hospital. Representatives from the Mathiwos Wondu Foundation, which administers the hospital's PEN-Plus program with support from the NCDI Poverty Network, provided care that went beyond the clinical. With transportation support, education assistance and more, Yismaw is back in school and managing his diabetes. Read his story:

For several years, without funds for transportation or food, Yismaw Nigussie, a 15-year-old living in rural northern Ethiopia, would risk his health even getting to the clinic that provided treatment for his type 1 diabetes. Then a routine assessment changed the trajectory of his life.

02/11/2026

Community health worker (CHW) Tina Thomas checks a patient’s blood sugar at J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital in Harper, Liberia, in November 2021, when a study about diabetes education was underway. Thomas herself was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2017 and received care at J. J. Dossen. She was in critical condition when first admitted, recovered, and now is affectionately known as "Patient No. 1” at the hospital’s NCD clinic. As a CHW, Thomas provides diabetes education at the clinic and in local communities.

(Photo: Jason Amoo / Partners In Health)

In the link, read more about how the recently published study found that self-management education had positive impacts on health for people living with in Harper.

A recently published study found that patient education and peer support helped people living with type 1 diabetes in rural Liberia manage their disease. “Their extra barriers to health,” said Dr. Alma Adler, the Network’s research director, “make it even more critical for patients in low-re...