After three years of dedicated collaboration, the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have successfully completed the first phase of their partnership, bringing hope and health to countless individuals in need.
19 August 2025 UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
After three years of targeted efforts, the first phase of the partnership between the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has now been completed.
The collaboration has delivered strong results in preventing, diagnosing, and treating non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders among displaced people and host communities in Tanzania, Burundi, and Sudan.
The partnership set out to improve access to essential treatment for chronic illnesses among displaced people and host communities, even in places where infectious diseases are often more prevalent.
This goal has been achieved.
Through the partnership, significant improvements have been made to healthcare services for vulnerable people living with chronic illnesses in Tanzania, Burundi, and Sudan. In all three countries, NCD treatment has been integrated into the primary healthcare, with hundreds of thousands of NCD consultations conducted.
Despite extremely challenging conditions in Sudan – currently affected by a violent conflict that has ravaged the country for more than two years – more than 25 health facilities have been upgraded, and nearly 500 healthcare workers have received specialised training.
In Tanzania, NCD clinics have been established and improved in refugee camps, where trained healthcare staff can now offer both diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
In Burundi, the partnership has not only contributed to capacity building in more than 20 health facilities but also led to the development of national treatment protocols for NCDs. Healthcare workers have been upskilled, and initiatives such as patient self-monitoring and targeted nutritional counseling have improved the quality of life for displaced people and locals in host communities.
“I am proud of what our partnership with UNHCR has achieved,” reflects Jakob Sloth Madsen, WDF’s Regional Team Lead. “The results demonstrate the impact of integrated NCD care, from health education to community support, reaching those who need it most.”
Across all three countries, more than 5,000 healthcare workers have been upskilled, and over 1.3 million people have been reached through health campaigns.
For Rudima, who fled the Democratic Republic of Congo, the partnership became a lifeline. He lives in the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania with his wife, nine children, and four grandchildren. When he was diagnosed with diabetes, he was overwhelmed with fear – he had seen far too many around him lose their lives to the disease.
But through the collaboration between WDF and UNHCR, he received the right support. It changed his life. He learned how to measure and monitor his blood sugar, adjust his diet, and manage his medication. Through personal counseling, he gained tools to cope with the worries and uncertainty that came with the diagnosis. A community health worker visited him regularly, closely followed his progress, and ensured he received the necessary treatment. At the same time, he received nutritious food supplements that helped him maintain stable blood sugar levels.
This gave him back control over his illness – and the courage to face the future:
“I feel stronger now. I know what to do to take care of myself – and my family still needs me,” says Rudima.
At a global level, the partnership with WDF has served as a catalyst for UNHCR’s work to include NCDs in health programs across the organisation’s global operations.
Among other achievements, it has led to a major upgrade of UNHCR’s health information system (iRHIS), which now includes a dedicated NCD module. This enables improved data collection, analysis, and follow-up on chronic disease treatment, and is now used in 22 countries worldwide that host refugees.
“This partnership has made a real difference for people forced to flee and strengthened their opportunities to get treatment for their chronic diseases,” says Eva Raabyemagle, UNHCR’s Head of Private Sector Partnerships in Denmark. “A great example of what partnerships with the private sector can do.”
The partnership has also strengthened UNHCR’s efforts to get non-communicable diseases systematically integrated into national health systems and to ensure that displaced people are included in national health strategies.
The first phase of the partnership succeeded in integrating prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses into health systems – even in resource-constrained and crisis-affected areas. This requires investment and close collaboration with both national authorities and local communities.
The experiences gained will serve as a foundation for future efforts, so that even more displaced people can access the treatment they need – and are entitled to.
This is not only about health, but also about dignity and equality for people living with chronic illnesses in some of the world’s hardest-hit and most vulnerable areas.
This article has been adapted and translated to English from a Danish article originally published by UNHCR in Denmark.