News and Features


Photo Gallery: Circle of Life
Paula Byron Paula Byron

Photo Gallery: Circle of Life

In Springboard for Action, a PEN-Plus celebration held in September on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly, leaders from the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, UNICEF, and Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare all expressed their commitment to PEN-Plus. The event also featured a performance by the Broadway cast of Disney’s The Lion King.

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Springboard for Action
Paula Byron Paula Byron

Springboard for Action

The PEN-Plus Partnership Strategic Plan (2025–2028) had its official launch at Springboard for Action, an event celebrating progress toward global access to care for people living with severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases. The NCDI Poverty Network hosted the event in New York City in September on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the U.N. General Assembly.

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Building for the Future
Paula Byron Paula Byron

Building for the Future

The PEN-Plus clinic in eastern Uganda began as a gathering under a tree and has blossomed into a standalone structure with consultation and treatment rooms, a training center, and a pharmacy.

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Undaunted Spirit Despite Dual Diagnoses
Allison Westervelt Allison Westervelt

Undaunted Spirit Despite Dual Diagnoses

“Tawonashe is exactly the kind of patient for whom PEN-Plus was designed,” said Dr. Alvern Mutengerere, project manager for noncommunicable diseases at SolidarMed, the implementing partner for the PEN-Plus clinic in Masvingo.

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Network Promotes PEN-Plus at 4th Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease
Allison Westervelt Allison Westervelt

Network Promotes PEN-Plus at 4th Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease

A team that included NCDI Poverty Network Co-Chair Dr. Gene Bukhman, Voices Advocacy Fellow Eunice Owino, and Advocacy & Training Associate Lauren Brown traveled to Paris in June to represent the Network and promote PEN-Plus at the 4th Global Congress on Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).

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