Springboard for Action
During the recent Springboard for Action event in New York City, type 1 diabetes advocates gathered near a banner declaring, “I care about Type 1 Diabetes so I care about PEN-Plus.” Pictured in the back row are, from left, Kyle Banks, founder of Kyler Cares; Dr. Neil Gupta, senior director of policy for the NCDI Poverty Network; Boudewijn Bertsch, type 1 diabetes advocate; James Reid, program officer for type 1 diabetes, The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; and Dr. Gina Agiostratidou, director of the Type 1 Diabetes Program of The Helmsley Charitable Trust. In the middle row are, from left, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa; Tinotenda Dzikiti, Voices for PEN-Plus advocate and person living with type 1 diabetes in Zimbabwe; Riva Greenberg, type 1 diabetes advocate; Renza Scibilia, type 1 diabetes advocate; Antoinette Watkins, founder of The Diabaddie Organization; Dr. Emily Wroe, senior director of programs for the Network; and Stephanie Pearson, senior director of global operations at Breakthrough T1D. In the front row are, from left, Dr. Gene Bukhman, co-chair of the Network; Dr. Apoorva Gomber, associate advocacy director for the Network; Dr. Charlotte Chen, attending physician in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore; and Prof. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the Network.
In September, on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, the NCDI Poverty Network hosted Springboard for Action, an event celebrating progress toward global access to care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The event also served as the official launch of the PEN-Plus Partnership Strategic Plan (2025–2028).
The event marked the unprecedented collective achievements of NCDI Poverty Network organizations in integrating care across 15 countries through the PEN-Plus model. This package of clinical services enables frontline providers in low-income health systems to provide care for people with conditions such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease. Representatives of many of those organizations attended the event, and leaders representing the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, UNICEF, and Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shared remarks that reaffirmed those organizations’ commitment to delivering healthcare and hope to those who need it most.
The event emcee, Kyle Banks, opened the program with remarks about his own journey as a person living with type 1 diabetes and the founder of Kyler Cares, a nonprofit that seeks to improve health outcomes for people of color living with diabetes.
Before introducing the main part of the program, Banks—also a long-time member of the Broadway cast of Disney’s The Lion King—welcomed 13 of his fellow cast members to the front of the Yale Club ballroom. The performers, many of whom are South African, gave the audience of more than a hundred guests spirited renditions of “The Circle of Life” and “One by One.”
Following the performance, Drs. Gene Bukhman and Ana Mocumbi, co-chairs of the NCDI Poverty Network, provided an overview of the Strategic Plan.
“This plan is not a routine document,” Dr. Bukhman said. “Instead, it is our commitment, our testimony, and our witness to the collective progress of NCDI Poverty Network partners in delivering healthcare and hope to people in lower-income countries who are living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and childhood heart disease.”
Dr. Chukwama Anyaike, the director of public health in Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, then gave remarks, and Dr. Fouzia Shafique, the associate director of health in UNICEF’s headquarters, offered a partner’s perspective.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, then reflected on her experiences working with collaborators on PEN-Plus.
Tinotenda Dzikiti, a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate in Zimbabwe, closed out the program with an account of his lived experience with type 1 diabetes.
In expressing UNICEF’s commitment to PEN-Plus, Dr. Shafique echoed the enthusiasm of all the speakers. “Our global team will be with you every step of the way,” she said. “We’ll bring whatever we have in our arsenal—our technical expertise, our operational presence in the countries, our ability to bring together partners, our ability to look at not just bringing together more domestic resources, but a lot of different financing as well. We’ll be with you every step of the way as we move forward and hope for a world where, when anyone comes across a child with a noncommunicable disease, we are able to say, We can help.”
The Strategic Plan is available as a PDF download, a flipbook, and a microsite. A photo gallery of the event is available on the Network website, as is information about the event.