When emergencies disrupt lives, continuity of care for people living with chronic conditions is essential. Danish Red Cross and the Novo Nordisk Foundation are launching the second phase of a regional programme to support people with cardiometabolic diseases in some of East Africa’s most fragile settings.

Imagine living with diabetes - and being forced to flee your home by conflict or climate disaster. Alongside fear, loss and uncertainty, you face a life-threatening question. How do you access insulin, monitoring and care when health systems collapse and medicines run out?

For many people on the move, this is a daily reality.

Leaving no one behind

A silent emergency is unfolding in East Africa as cardiometabolic diseases rise among populations already affected by conflict and displacement. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases are often overlooked in humanitarian responses, even though they are among the leading causes of premature deaths in the region.

To address this gap, the Red Cross, in partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, is launching a four-year programme (2026 - 2030) to strengthen care for cardiometabolic diseases in crisis-affected communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. 

“The Red Cross is already present where crises are most acute, providing life-saving assistance and emergency relief. Now, with support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we can expand that response to include people living with chronic diseases - ensuring that no one is left behind. These conditions do not pause in a crisis, which is why care must continue,” says Bjarne Andreasen, Head of Region Africa at the Danish Red Cross.

Continuity of care is life-saving – not optional

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease account for 43% of all deaths in Kenya, 28% in Somalia and over 40% in Ethiopia. Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) affect people in their most productive years, leading to economic strain on families and communities.

Building on lessons from earlier Red Cross programmes, Continuity of Cardio Metabolic Diseases Care in Crisis (CiC II) aims to expand care for people living with cardiometabolic diseases in crisis-affected settings across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The programme will reach more than one million people by improving access to screening, treatment, medicines and follow-up.

The programme is implemented in partnership between Danish Red Cross and the Red Cross Red Crescent in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia – these National Societies, whose strong local presence plays a key role in ensuring access to treatment for people in contexts of crisis.

Sylvia Khamati Anekha, Senior NCD Programme Advisor at the Danish Red Cross, helped develop the programme’s first phase and now leads the new four-year initiative. She stresses that the effort is about providing lifesaving treatment, while also strengthening the systems needed to ensure continued access to care.

“With the continued partnership of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we can make a substantial difference for vulnerable people on the move, even in the most fragile settings. This programme helps prevent a silent crisis from deepening and enables us to make lifesaving cardiometabolic treatment a standard part of humanitarian response. Continuity of care is lifesaving – not optional,” concludes Sylvia Khamati Anekha.

Facts

• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are diseases that cannot be directly transmitted between people. Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) are a group of common but often preventable conditions, including hypertension, diabetes and heart conditions.
• NCDs – especially cardiometabolic diseases – are among the leading causes of premature deaths in Eastern Africa. Climate change and globalisation contribute to this rise by reducing access to nutritious food and changing lifestyles. The burden is particularly severe in humanitarian settings, where displacement and weak health systems increase vulnerability.
• The aim of the Continuity of Cardio Metabolic Diseases Care in Crisis (CiC II) programme is to improve prevention and management of cardiometabolic diseases among crisis-affected populations in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. The programme will reach estimated 1,157,567 underserved, marginalised, and vulnerable people.
• CiC II is a partnership between the Red Cross and the Novo Nordisk Foundation and will run from 2026–2030. Grant number: NNF25SA0112800.

Sources: Diabetesforeningen - Danish Diabetes Association and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) – Diabetes Atlas in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.