NCDI Poverty Network

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...

02/05/2026

From Ghana to Zambia to Canada, peer support was a big topic for noncommunicable disease care in 2025—and the focus on mental and social wellbeing that peer support creates will continue growing in 2026.

“In each of the countries where we work, we’re preparing an integrated training for peer educators in both type 1 and disease, to develop a cohort of peer educators with both conditions who would then have a formal role within PEN-Plus clinics,” said Dr. Colin Pfaff, associate director of programs for the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Young people with severe often face stigma and a lack of understanding about their disease in their communities. Read on to learn how peer support and the PEN-Plus model of integrated care are breaking down social barriers.

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 champion...

02/02/2026

More info on Ethiopia's exciting launch of its national plan for PEN-Plus, which expands local resources and care for children and young people living with severe noncommunicable diseases ( ) such as , and childhood-onset . Ethiopia's plan calls for PEN-Plus clinics in 150 hospitals within five years, potentially enrolling 82,000 patients -- and creating stronger families, communities, and health systems.


Mathiwos Wondu Foundation World Bank Group World Health Organization African Region

The NCDI Poverty Network joined with the Government of Ethiopia, the Mathiwos Wondu Foundation, the World Health Organization, and other partners in a recent ceremony to launch Ethiopia’s PEN-Plus National Operational Plan, marking another major milestone for the growth of PEN-Plus in sub-Saharan ...

01/23/2026

“The PEN-Plus program is a vital strategy designed to empower primary hospitals, ensuring that they meet high standards of care for patients with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases ( ),” Dr. Dereje Duguma, Ethiopia’s State Minister of Health, writes in Ethiopia's National Operational Plan for PEN-Plus.

Today's launch of the national plan was a wonderful event and part of growing momentum for PEN-Plus and integrated care for NCDs. Congratulations and gratitude to Ethiopia's Ministry of Health and partners including the Mathiwos Wondu Foundation, World Health Organization African Region, the World Bank and more.

Ethiopian Press Agency /የኢትዮጵያ ፕሬስ ድርጅት/

12/30/2025

🗓️ As we look ahead into 2026, let's take a moment to look back!

The NCDI Poverty Network launched in December 2020 to expand access to lifesaving treatments for children, adolescents, and adults living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases ( ) in extreme poverty. In its first five years, the Network has transformed from an idea into a vibrant international movement, with 29 partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, and the Caribbean, as well as advocacy, funding, policy, and technical partners from around the world.

Here are highlights and milestones from our first five years: https://www.ncdipoverty.org/fifth-anniversary-milestones

Above all, thank you for your partnership, dedication, and solidarity. We're excited for what's ahead! 🌟