Where a child lives should not determine whether a child lives. 

And yet children with type 1 diabetes in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa and many parts of South-East Asia often die within a year of diagnosis. This reality is as medically unacceptable as it is morally unconscionable.

No disease should be treatable in one country, yet a death sentence in another. 

For the world’s poorest billion people—> 90 percent of whom live in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia—severe, chronic NCDs lead to more than 560,000 avoidable deaths among children and young adults each year. That’s more than the number of preventable deaths in this population from HIV, tuberculosis, and maternal causes combined.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) which now represent the biggest gap in universal health coverage for the poorest billion, have been identified as priorities for both global health and equitable and sustainable development. Yet global policies and funding devoted to NCDs still focus almost entirely on diseases often linked to lifestyle-associated risk factors. This global agenda has effectively excluded the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations, who suffer a heavy burden of NCDs unrelated to preventable behaviors. 

Just four conditions—type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease—account for as many as 100,000 of those annual deaths. And these tragedies persist even though proven, cost-effective treatments have long been routinely available in high-income countries, in some instances even for decades.

Our "Team PEN-Plus" is proud to support the implementation of the PEN-Plus model of integrated, equitable, and quality care for all people living with severe NCDs and demand urgent action. 

We collectively advocate for urgent action and support in saving the lives of millions doubly affected by the adversities of NCDs and poverty. 

Thank you for supporting this extraordinary group of runners and believing every child deserves to live and dream.

For more information about the "PEN-Plus Partnership" and the "Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity" at Brigham and Women's Hospital, use the links below: https://centerforintegrationscience.org/ and https://www.ncdipoverty.org/