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Francine Charles, Programme Manager for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Programme with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados

Spotlight on NCDs during Global Week for Action

As Civil Society Organisations across the Caribbean in partnership with People Living With NCDs and youth advocates joined in the recent NCD Alliance Global Week of Action against NCDs, there was cause for much reflection around this specific theme of community engagement. 
Francine Charles, Programme Manager for the Childhood Obesity Prevention Programme with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Barbados (HSFB), which is a member Civil Society Organisation (CSO) of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC) pointed out the above, as the week of action recently came to a close.
The Global Week for Action on NCDs unites those in the NCD movement each year, so they can concentrate their combined efforts on reducing the global NCD burden and increasing health and equality, given that the NCD burden is expected to increase by 17% by 2025.

Charles meanwhile noted that she was pleased with the interest shown in the Global Week for Action and those willing to speak up about the issues surrounding NCDs.
“It is with great excitement that we scroll through the many social media posts over this week of Global Action, to see strong support from health and non-health CSOs, from people living with NCDs and youth advocates joining around HCC's campaign-It's Time to Speak Up! In this region, that message resonates, as Civil Society is indeed finding a voice as we advocate strongly, consistently and persistently for evidence-based policies to reduce childhood obesity and non-communicable diseases,” Charles noted.
She however stated, “Our region’s statistics around the prevalence of childhood obesity and NCDs are daunting, at both the individual and national levels. Recent statistics for Barbados suggest that we lose Bds$350 million dollars annually in indirect and direct costs of dealing with NCDs. Regional statistics suggest that 1 in 3 children are obese and overweight. Yet, the region struggles to implement the much needed prevention policies proposed by the World Health Organisation."
“It is within that context that CSOs in the region are joining hands and increasing our community engagements, to ensure that our people, including our children, are being educated about the issues. We are forming Coalitions and strategic partnerships to ensure that our voices are being heard at the national level and by the policymakers. It is an exciting time, because the winds of change are blowing and the people’s voices are beginning to set the national discourse,” she meanwhile commented.
Charles was clear however that the Global Week of Action held significance, because it caused reflection on the international challenge that NCDs present and it also caused individuals to catch sight of the global strength around these issues. (RSM)

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