By Chioma Obinna

Nineteen civil society alliances from Africa, Asia, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Latin America, and the Caribbean including NCD Alliance Nigeria have been awarded grants to accelerate the response to the coronavirus pandemic through the first Civil Society Solidarity Fund on Non-communicable Diseases, NCDs, and COVID-19.

The awarded alliances, announced Tuesday will carry out grant activities during the rest of 2021. The 2021 Solidarity Fund totaling US$335,000, competitively awards grants of up to US$15,000.

Speaking on the grant, President of the NCD Alliance, Anne Lise Ryel said the COVID-19 pandemic has placed many challenges on NCD civil society, including financial sustainability.

Ryel said: It is key to support alliances to ensure a vibrant and strong NCD civil society that can elevate the voices of communities and people living with NCDs and enable them to mobilise resources, advocate for political action, and health policy reform, and hold governments and other stakeholders to account. 2021 Solidarity Fund aims to do this.”

READ ALSO: People living with NCDs want priority attention in COVID-19 vaccinations — NCD Alliance

Some of the recipients of the 2021 Solidarity Fund includes; NCD Alliance Nigeria, Aliançamoçambicana de Luta contra doençasnãotransmissíveis (Mozambican Alliance of the fight against NCDs), Trinidad and Tobago NCD Alliance, East Africa NCD Alliance, oaliciónLatinoaméricaSaludable CLAS (Healthy Latin America Coalition), South African NCDs Alliance, Burundi NCD Alliance, ACT Promoção da Saúde (ACT Health Promotion – Brazil), and  Healthy Caribbean Coalition.

Others are; , Cambodian NCD Alliance, Slovenian NCD Alliance, Alliance MNT Benin (NCD Alliance Benin), Bangladesh Non-Communicable Diseases Forum, Cameroon Civil Society NCD Alliance, Coalition des ONG et  Associations Contre les Maladies Non-Transmissibles au Togo (Coalition MNT-Togo), Eastern Mediterranean NCD Alliance, Uganda NCD Alliance, UK Working Group on NCDs  and Zambia Non-Communicable Alliance

Remarking on the grant in Nigeria, President, NCD Alliance Nigeria, Dr Sonny Kuku who expressed appreciation for the award emphasised that the award will assist to develop comprehensive and cohesive NCD advocacy and communications strategies towards resilience and recovery, especially at the onset of the third wave of COVID 19 in Nigeria.

NCD Alliance Nigeria activities under this grant will include organising meetings virtual and on sites of Champions of People Living With NCDs (PLWNCDs) per State to connect with relevant stakeholders to enhance Task-shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) with Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHPCF) for prevention, screening, treatment and care of PLWNCDs (Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Sickle cell disease, and Mental health) in two states of the Federation namely Lagos and the Osun States.

Synthesysing and Integration of Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) Policy and BHCPF Policy as it relates to the delivery of Primary Healthcare (PHC) services to PLWNCDS in the first phase, with the aim to expand it to the other 34 states in Nigeria and FCT Abuja.

On the expected outcome he said: “Expected Outcomes of our activities would include – increased knowledge of key stakeholders in 2 States on the integration of Task Shifting and Task Sharing (TSTS) and BHCPF policy in delivery of PHC services to PLWNCDs, improved political interest and awareness on the personnel capacity and institutional infrastructures of PHCs in 2 states for care and treatment of PLWNCDs and inclusion of PLWNCDs and NCD Alliance Nigeria in the decision-making process on access to care, screening and treatment services at PHCs to PLWNCDs in 2 States among others.

The Solidarity Fund aims to address these challenges, supporting NCD civil society in continuing its important work as countries and health systems endeavour to rebuild better and fairer, leaving no one behind.

Speaking, CEO of NCD Alliance, Katie Dain, said:  “The NCD Alliance launched this Solidarity Fund in 2020 as a first-of-its-kind fund to support exemplary efforts from NCD civil society organisations to respond to the pandemic, including advocating for the integration of NCDs into governments’ COVID-19 response plans. Building upon its successes and due to the continuation of COVID-19, we are now launching the second phase of this Solidarity Fund to make the case for prioritising and investing in NCDs within the context of an equitable COVID-19 response and recovery, advocating for the needs of people living with NCDs, with the aim of advancing towards Universal Health Coverage, and NCD prevention and control.”

The 2021 Solidarity Fund has been made possible thanks to generous financial contributions of NCD Alliance’s supporters: The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Access Accelerated, AstraZeneca, ECOBANK Foundation, and Viatris.

Vanguard News Nigeria