The NCD Diaries is a participatory, community-based and multimedia storytelling project that highlights individual lived experiences and calls for action on non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The NCD Diaries bring together recommendations for improvements to the NCD response, from the perspective of people with lived experience, and in support of the Advocacy Agenda of People Living with NCDs. Diaries are presented in three formats: text, audio, and video.

The NCD Diaries are possible thanks to support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

The NCD Diaries project seeks to:

• Amplify the voices and lived experiences of people living with NCDs to build narratives that put people first and build awareness of the challenges experienced by people living with NCDs.   
• Support and inspire people living with NCDs to share their experiences, and recommendations for a more effective NCD response and become advocates in their community.
• Provide a repository of documented lived experience, highlighting the day-to-day challenges and personal realities of people living with NCDs around the world through interactive media formats and applying the public narrative framework.   
• Contextualise the Global and National Advocacy Agendas of People Living with NCDs and the Global Charter on Meaningful Involvement through the lived realities, needs and contributions of people living with NCDs.

Series 7 will feature the voices of young people with lived experience of NCDs, spotlighting the unique challenges NCDs present to young people, and how it has led them to become advocates for change. Over 2.1 billion children and adolescents less than 20 years of age are affected by NCDs and each year, about 1 million people under the age of 20 die from treatable NCDs (UNICEF). With organizations such as UNICEF and Panorama Global, and efforts such as the 2025 Kigali Youth Declaration, young voices are creating a space in which they can be visible and demand better action on NCDs for current and future generations. Youth stories highlight experiences that may not be reflected in mainstream narratives on NCDs, they can mobilise a broader network of youth advocates and urge governments to develop forward-looking policies by leveraging the energy and fresh perspectives of young people.

In this series, NCD Alliance invites diaries across NCD Alliance’s four impact goals (prevention, financing, care, and community engagement). Applicants interested in participating should carefully review the topics below and decide which one they would like to share their diary under:

Prevention

Topics we would like to feature are:

• Air pollution
• Climate change and environmental health
• Commercial determinants of health
• Food marketing, and availability of healthy food

Financing

Topics we would like to feature are:

• Financial impact of the transition of care (e.g. from pediatric to adult care)
• Financial burden of NCDs

Care

Topics we would like to feature are:

• The effects of delayed or inaccurate diagnoses in children and young adults;
• Access to/continuity of access to medicines.

Community Engagement

Topics we would like to feature are:

• Youth-led advocacy in community engagement
• Youth participation in governance and decision-making bodies

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be reviewed and selected via a competitive selection process. Applications will be reviewed by NCD Alliance and a review panel from the Our Views, Our Voices Global Advisory Committee. Selection will be based on equally weighted criteria and overall representativeness, ensuring diversity across conditions, gender and regions.

There are 8-10 diarist spots available for Series 7. Diaries will be produced through one of three mediums chosen by the applicant – written, audio or video.

Diarist selection is based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to choosen thematic focus: Applicants demonstrate clear alignment of their experiences and NCD Diary idea with their chosen sub-theme.
• Motivation for becoming an NCD Diarist: Statements of motivation which align with the objectives of the NCD Diaries – compelling documentation of one’s lived experience; providing calls to action to strengthen the NCD response and inspiring other people living with NCDs to share their stories.
• Creativity of the NCD Diaries concept: The NCD Diaries will use in-depth, audio-visually rich and immersive approaches to share lived experiences to drive change. Applicants are asked to share their preferred Diary format (Choice 1 and 2) and their most creative ideas on creating their Diaries in compelling and engaging ways.
• Potential for growth and impact: Applicants demonstrate the value they will gain from the Diaries experience and how they will apply it to advance their advocacy journey.

Project commitment overview

Selected diarists will be involved with the NCD Diaries project across a span of 6-7 months (approximately April to October 2026), which will include onboarding and training; diary creation and publication; and promotion efforts aligned with advocacy and communications opportunities. It is expected that your time spent on the project will total around 6-7 days, spread across the total project timeline.

If a diarist is unable to complete their diary, a reconfirmation of their interest and commitment to the NCD Diaries project will be required. If a diarist is unresponsive, NCD Alliance has the right to terminate the agreement with the diarist, and to not proceed with publication of their diary. By submitting your expression of interest, you affirm that you can meet the training and time requirements for the project and will regularly communicate with NCD Alliance to complete your entries.

AI detection tools will be used in reviewing applications. Applications that are wholly or substantially written by AI will not be considered in the shortlist.