Raise Your Voice: Global Action Week On NCDs

"When I speak, I shake the walls," says Chikhu, a person living with a chronic disease. In Malawi, access to NCD care is not always there and is not always fair. NCD Alliance documents daily realities and work of Samuel and Chikhu - two advocates who stand up for their right to health and help change the lives of thousands. Raise Your Voice micro-documentary is an inspiration for those who would like to advocate for change. Every voice counts. Coming to your screens on October 15.

What does it take for you to see the doctor? In Malawi, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are still relatively new. Limited access, low investment and long distances contrast dramatically with the healthcare provided in high-income countries.

NCD advocates Chikhu Ng’ombe and Samuel Kumwanje are raising their voices and building networks to help people living with NCDs access the diagnosis, treatment and care they need.

Chikhu, a cancer survivor living with epilepsy, made it his life’s purpose to run peer-driven support organisations for people living with NCDs in Malawi. Living with kidney failure for decades, Samuel takes us through his intense daily journey to get dialysis from one of the country’s far-too-few machines.

Despite these immense obstacles, Chikhu and Samuel work tirelessly with the government through their CSOs to advocate for health for all. Their stories demonstrate the power of speaking up and sitting at the table together to ensure no one living with an NCD faces these challenges alone.