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Marking the 100th year since the organizations founding, Girl Scouts has declared 2012 the Year of the Girl. In an initiative that focuses on the future for girls, Texas Instruments recently partnered with 
Novo Nordisk expands diabetes program for children in developing countries
Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes care, is growing its efforts to make a difference for children with type 1 diabetes in the neediest parts of the world. The company’s Changing Diabetes in Children program, launched in 2009, recently expanded to India where there are more than 50 million people living with diabetes and little detailed information about the children afflicted with this disease.
With the goal of improving the health and quality of life of children with type 1diabetes living in developing countries, the Changing Diabetes in Children program is now active in nine countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, India, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. At the same time, Novo Nordisk is helping to strengthen the capacity of the local health care systems and to build long-term solutions for sustainable diabetes care in the world’s poorest countries. Estimates by the International Diabetes Federation suggest that approximately 250,000 children in developing countries are afflicted with diabetes but information is still sparse and incomplete.
The Changing Diabetes in Children program is part of Novo Nordisk’s strategy for access to care, and builds on four priorities within the right to health: availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of healthcare. The program uses an approach piloted in Tanzania in 2006 and is built on a hub-and-spoke concept aimed at bringing diabetes care closer to the children who need it. This innovative program entails free provision of insulin, blood glucometers and strips for the children in all participating countries, including India. To date, more than 600 health care professionals have been trained in the diagnosis and treatment of childhood diabetes. In the nine countries where Changing Diabetes in Children operates, there are 47 clinics and more than 4,700 children enrolled.
According to Rikke Fabienke, Global Project Manager, coordination with so many local partners and governments has not been easy. The sustainability of the program relies on “a strong national partner to advocate for the program and drive for national government (Ministry of Health) commitment.” Success and sustainability is based on the establishment of local steering committees with representation from the Ministry of Health, local diabetes experts and health care professionals. It is these committees that are responsible for running the program at the national level, Fabienke said.
Fabienke added that although it is important that the program is anchored locally within the health care system, it is managed by a group of Novo Nordisk employees. Their main goal, she said, is to “ensure that the program is implemented within the confines of Novo Nordisk’s strict global quality standards and there is coordination between the Novo Nordisk organization, global partners and between countries.” According to Fabienke, this is critical when it comes to delivery of supplies to the program.
A comprehensive training manual for health care professionals and diabetes educators was developed thanks to cross-partner and cross-country collaboration among Novo Nordisk, the World Diabetes Foundation, The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes and local partners from African countries. The development of these critical materials took more than a year, Fabienke noted. She remarked that Novo Nordisk does not shy away from challenges and is currently undertaking the development of patient education materials which need to be “not only culturally appropriate, but also take into consideration issues of varying literacy levels and social conditions.” These materials will be translated into different languages and are prepared to help frontline health care professionals improve the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life of children with diabetes in developing countries.
Fabienke highlighted four critical points for successful and sustainable global initiatives: 1) it takes time, 2) a committed local partner is crucial, 3) the situation in each country is different, and 4) no singular organization can solve a public health challenge – it takes a collaborative approach. Novo Nordisk aims to have sustainable cooperation with local partners, including governments and diabetes associations in place by 2015 when the program concludes. Within that time, Fabienke said, Novo Nordisk has a goal of enrolling 10,000 children in the program.
Novo Nordisk’s commitment to sustainable development and balanced growth is consistent with the principles of the United Nations Global Compact. Through this approach, the company seeks to build its business in a way that is financially, environmentally and socially responsible.
