Success Story: NCD Prevention & Care
Exciting achievements and an incredible life-saving story from partnerships that increase awareness and treatment of Non-Communicable Diseases in rural Rwanda.
Accessing services for testing and treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes for people in remote areas is often very challenging. Many are unaware of these rapidly growing diseases, services are unavailable near their homes, and they must walk several miles to health facilities.
Health Builders consistently works with the Rwandan Ministry of Health and local and international stakeholders to address these and other health challenges. One of our key supporters is Sanofi Global Health, which provided a two-year grant to raise awareness, provide screenings, and build the capacity of healthcare providers for early detection and management of hypertension and diabetes in Nyabihu District.
Now that we are ten months into the project, we have some exciting achievements to share:
Trained 1,892 community health workers (CHWs) and 51 health centers’ staff on the detection, treatment, and follow-up of hypertension and diabetes patients
Provided 469 testing kits to 469 villages, each consisting of a blood pressure machine, glucometer, strips, and personal protective equipment
Conducted door-to-door screenings where CHWs tested 120,568 people for hypertension and diabetes
Identified 2,046 new cases, including 1,846 hypertension cases and 200 diabetes cases, all of which were enrolled in the appropriate treatment and follow-up program
Success Story
Mr. Venant Nshimiyimana, a CHW in Kora Sector, shared the story of a woman who we will call Mary.
During the door-to-door screening led by Venant and his colleagues, Mary was tested right at her home and found in a state of hypertensive emergency—a condition that could have rapidly escalated to a life-threatening condition such as stroke if it had not been promptly detected and addressed.
The CHWs, well-trained and equipped for such scenarios, acted swiftly and referred the patient to Kora Health Center, where she received appropriate care to bring her blood pressure under control.
This timely intervention not only stabilized her condition but also underscored a profound truth: the presence of CHWs and their proactive engagement in community health can make the difference between life and death.
This story highlights how this program bridges the gap between health services and the people by empowering CHWs everywhere in the villages. It also showcases the potential of rural communities to lead public health interventions, including the fight against emerging diseases, highly effectively and sustainably with the support of local government and international partners like Sanofi.
CHWs in the a door-to-door screening campaign
