By Olayinka Oyegbile
The Nigeria Communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance Nigeria, is one of 19 groups worldwide which recently got funding from NCD Alliance to accelerate the response to the coronavirus.
According to the NCD Alliance, the grant which is for civil society alliances from Africa, Asia, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean and Latin America is to help the grantees fight the pandemic in their various countries and regions.
In a statement announcing the grant, Todd Harper, President of the NCD Alliance, said: “The coronavirus pandemic shows many intersections between COVID-19 and NCDs. People living with NCDs are more vulnerable to COVID-19, with a substantially higher risk of becoming severely ill or dying from the virus. The pandemic is also impacting the poorest communities around the world and the most vulnerable people in every country. The civil society solidarity fund was born out of the need to tackle NCDs as fundamental to health security and to prevent a reversal of gains made in NCD prevention and control around the world.”
The $300,000 fund is meant to address the critical needs of people living with NCDs during COVID-19. It is to be used for advocacy and communication activities that will support stronger organisational stability and resilience.
The NCD Alliance Nigeria got $10,000.
According to Katie Dain, the CEO NCD Alliance, the fund “with the objective of supporting people living with NCDs and amplifying their voices in the COVID-19 pandemic.” It is to consult with people living with NCDs in three states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The states are: Lagos, Osun, and Enugu.
She added that the fund would help the NCD to capture their priorities on NCDs, in relation to the right to health, prevention, access to treatment and care, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kain added that NCD Nigeria was selected after a competitive review process and that it was meant to strengthen their institutional capacity as they address the implications of COVID-19, highlighting the intersection of NCDs and COVID-19 with advocacy and communication strategies.
Asked how she thinks this would impact on the fight against the pandemic, she said, “In Nigeria, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 29% of all deaths. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the World Health Organization reported that health services for NCDs were disrupted in more than 77% of the countries surveyed.” The fund is meant to bridge such gaps and help the populace.
