NCDI Poverty Network

What NCDI Poverty Network does

The NCDI Poverty Network is a private international nonprofit partnership founded in 2020 to operationalize PEN-Plus, an integrated care-delivery model that decentralizes treatment for severe chronic noncommunicable diseases — type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease — from tertiary hospitals to first-level facilities in resource-limited settings. The Network trains mid-level providers (nurses, clinical officers) at district hospitals, standardizes clinical tools and programmatic guidelines, and coordinates implementation through country-level National Commissions in 27 partner countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. Its proprietary Four-Phase Theory of Change structures country engagement from situation analysis through national scale-up, and the model has been endorsed by WHO/AFRO as the official strategy for all 47 countries of the African Region.

The Network operates as a lean coordination body of roughly 12 staff anchored by two co-secretariats — the Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo — with program delivery executed in-country through implementing partners such as Partners In Health, SolidarMed, CIDRZ, NCD Alliance Kenya, and Mathiwos Wondu Foundation. Revenue is philanthropic and multilateral, drawn from anchor foundations including the Helmsley Charitable Trust, JDRF, and UNICEF, with WHO/AFRO providing technical and policy support. As of December 2025 the Network reported 100+ PEN-Plus clinics serving more than 30,000 patients and a Strategic Plan 2025–2028 targeting a tenfold increase in patients on treatment by 2030, with the newly launched ALIGN-T1D partnership adding a dedicated 165,000-patient type 1 diabetes initiative.

There are no customers in the commercial sense: the Network provides technical assistance, training, and advocacy to ministries of health at no cost, monetizing only indirectly through grant funding. The 54-organization PEN-Plus Partnership and 300+-individual working-group structure functions as a coalition rather than a sales channel, and the organization's competitive position is anchored in supranational WHO endorsement, intellectual property in clinical standards, and a country-level distribution footprint that is costly and time-consuming to replicate.

Name

NCDI Poverty Network

Legal name

NCDI Poverty Network

Website

https://ncdipoverty.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The NCDI Poverty Network is a nonprofit partnership that implements PEN-Plus, an integrated care-delivery model bringing treatment for severe noncommunicable diseases to first-level hospitals in 27 low- and lower-middle-income countries. It serves ministries of health and NGOs with technical assistance, training, and advocacy, funded by philanthropic foundations and multilateral organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Public Health Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) & Mental Health Programs (BPADAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI), Disease-Specific Global Programs (HIV/TB/Malaria/NTDs) (HLAJAKAF)

Keywords

• Global health network
• Noncommunicable disease care
• Health system strengthening
• Integrated care delivery
• Public health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants and Trust Funding: The Network receives funding from major charitable foundations including The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, JDRF, and other global health funders. This funding supports PEN-Plus implementation, technical assistance, research, and advocacy activities across partner countries.
2. Multilateral Organization Support: Financial and technical backing from WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) and UNICEF supports implementation activities, policy development, and capacity building in partner countries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The NCDI Poverty Network is a nonprofit international partnership that initiates and expands PEN-Plus, an integrated care-delivery model bringing lifesaving treatment for severe chronic noncommunicable diseases (type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, childhood heart disease) closer to home in resource-limited rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. The Network provides technical support, training, policy guidance, research, and advocacy to ministries of health, implementing NGOs, and academic institutions across 27 partner countries.

Product overview

NCDI Poverty Network operates PEN-Plus as its core integrated care-delivery model—a strategy for providing lifesaving treatment to children, adolescents, and young adults living with severe noncommunicable diseases in settings of extreme poverty. The portfolio includes the Voices for PEN-Plus advocacy program, PEN-Plus Clinical Tools and Programmatic Standards for implementation guidance, and PEN-Plus Magazine for stakeholder communication. PEN-Plus focuses on type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and childhood heart disease across 27 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Voices for PEN-Plus: An initiative of the NCDI Poverty Network that brings together people with lived experience to advocate for implementation of PEN-Plus in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Products and services

• PEN-Plus Integrated Care Delivery Model An integrated care-delivery model that decentralizes treatment for type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease from tertiary hospitals to first-level (district) hospitals in resource-limited settings. The model trains mid-level providers, ensures availability of equipment and medicines, establishes supply chains, and supports patient-centered care with health education and peer support. Implemented in 27 partner countries with over 100 operational clinics serving more than 30,000 patients.
• Voices for PEN-Plus An advocacy initiative of the NCDI Poverty Network that brings together people with lived experience of type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and childhood heart disease to advocate for PEN-Plus implementation. The program provides advocacy training and mentorship to young adults in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ patients on treatment for severe chronic NCDs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO/AFRO has endorsed PEN-Plus as the official strategy for all 47 countries in the African Region. Co-organizes International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa. Published landmark PEN-Plus report detailing impact and momentum. Recognized as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Integration Science.
• Partners In HealthcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerKey implementing partner operating PEN-Plus clinics in multiple countries including Liberia (J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital, Pleebo Health Center), Sierra Leone (Koidu Government Hospital), and Rwanda. Provides direct patient care and implementation support.
• Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for PEN-Plus in Zambia. Manages multiple PEN-Plus clinics including at Mwachisompola First-Level Hospital. Hosted Camp Tuli Bonse integrated camp for youth with type 1 diabetes and sickle cell disease.
• SolidarMedcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSwiss NGO implementing PEN-Plus in Zimbabwe (Masvingo Province) and other countries. Operates PEN-Plus clinics at provincial and district hospitals. Provides training and mentorship for providers.
• NCD Alliance KenyacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner for PEN-Plus in Kenya. Hosts training events including echocardiography master training. Supports national operational plan development and clinic implementation.
• Center for Integration Science in Global Health EquityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network, housed at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Conducts research on integration science, develops clinical tools and programmatic standards, and provides technical support for PEN-Plus implementation. Named WHO Collaborating Centre.
• Universidade Eduardo MondlaneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaputo co-secretariat of the NCDI Poverty Network. Provides regional leadership and coordination for PEN-Plus activities in Portuguese-speaking African countries. Launches integration science studies and francophone collaborations.
• Sonia Nabeta FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on diabetes peer educator training and integrated camps. Co-hosted Camp Tuli Bonse in Zambia. Provides mentorship and training support for young diabetes advocates.
• ALIGN-T1DcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for Integrated, Government-led Networks for T1D - new partnership including global funders, diabetes medicine producers, and type 1 diabetes community. Aims to reach 165,000 people with type 1 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries in first phase.
• Mathiwos Wondu FoundationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministers PEN-Plus program in Ethiopia. Identified and provided support for Yismaw Nigussie case study patient. Works with Network to implement and scale PEN-Plus in Ethiopia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Last Mile Health: Last Mile Health trains community health workers and supports integrated primary care delivery in remote, resource-limited settings across sub-Saharan Africa. Its emphasis on task-sharing, mid-level provider training, and decentralized chronic-disease management directly parallels the PEN-Plus model.
• Partners In Health: Partners In Health is a leading global health nonprofit that delivers care for the world's poorest patients and is a core implementing partner operating PEN-Plus clinics in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Rwanda. It shares the NCDI Poverty Network's mission of delivering integrated care for severe chronic diseases in resource-limited settings.
• VillageReach: VillageReach works to strengthen health systems and supply chains in under-served communities, with active programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Its focus on last-mile delivery, health worker training, and supply-chain reliability is highly comparable to the operational backbone PEN-Plus requires at district hospitals.
• Amref Health Africa: Amref Health Africa is a large African-led NGO that trains health workers and supports integrated NCD and primary-care delivery across the continent. Its scale, regional anchoring, and emphasis on mid-level provider capacity building make it a closely comparable peer to the NCDI Poverty Network's PEN-Plus approach.
• SolidarMed: SolidarMed is a Swiss NGO implementing PEN-Plus in Zimbabwe's Masvingo Province and other countries, operating district-hospital clinics and training providers. As an active implementing partner of the Network, it provides a directly comparable operating model for rural chronic-disease service delivery in Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Project HOPE: Project HOPE is an international global health NGO with a growing portfolio in NCDs, health workforce training, and integrated care delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Its broader geographic footprint and program mix make it a broader incumbent peer in the same space as PEN-Plus.
• Jhpiego: Jhpiego is an international nonprofit affiliated with Johns Hopkins that builds health workforce capacity and supports integrated service delivery in low-resource countries. Its experience designing training curricula and clinical standards for NCD programs in Africa overlaps with the Network's clinical-tools and programmatic-standards work.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): CHAI works to save lives in low- and middle-income countries by improving market dynamics for medicines and diagnostics, and is referenced as an implementing partner of the NCDI Poverty Network. Its broader portfolio across HIV, malaria, and NCDs overlaps with PEN-Plus's integrated chronic-disease delivery model.

Others

• RTI International: RTI International is a research institute that implements large global health programs, including NCD and health-systems-strengthening work funded by USAID and other donors. While not a direct PEN-Plus peer, it is an adjacent implementer whose global health financing and research capabilities touch the same donor ecosystem.

Emerging players

• LifeNet International: LifeNet International partners with local health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa to improve quality of care through training and management support. While smaller and focused on primary care broadly, its facility-level training and quality-improvement model shares PEN-Plus's logic of building capacity at first-level hospitals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncdipoverty
• Facebookfacebook.com/61574992176357
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ncdipovertynetwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/ncdi_poverty_network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NCDI Poverty Network