In Africa, Prevention Houses bring about change from the bottom up

In Africa, the number of people with diabetes is on the rise due to increasing urbanization and unhealthy changes to their nutrition and lifestyle. According to the International Diabetes Federation’s 2021 Diabetes Atlas, this number is predicted to increase by 129% by 2045, from 24 to 55 million people living with diabetes – taking a significant toll on the populations, the states and the already fragile health systems altogether.

 

This trend is amplified by barriers to care and primary prevention and a lack of support for a consistent multi-sectoral approach and policy changes. The scarcity of culturally relevant educational materials, as well as of diabetes specialists and dieticians have added to the challenge of improving the quality of life and health of the population

 

To address this, the local patient organisation FENADIM (Fédération Nationale des Diabétiques du Mali) together with ONG Walé partnered up with ONG Santé Diabète, a French non-governmental organisation (NGO) active across Africa and a long-term partner of our WDF, to co-implement a project strengthening diabetes care and prevention in Mali in 2020.