January 24, 2024
“As a journalist, I've learned that our responsibility extends beyond reporting news. We also work as advocates to drive policy objectives and raise awareness regarding public health concerns. The issue of hypertension has personally affected me as I've witnessed the impact it has on individuals. I have come to know that hypertension is a disease that often shows no initial symptoms but can lead to sudden and severe complications like strokes and heart attacks. Mass awareness can contribute to the early diagnosis and treatment of this condition.”
This excerpt is from an op-ed by Mr. Obaidul Kabir, the Executive Editor of the popular Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily Janakantha. He reflects on his transformative experience after attending a Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) workshop on hypertension control. Appreciating the knowledge gained on hypertension related issues, he has committed to raise awareness on this critical issue among the public through media.
GHAI and our media engagement partner, PROGGA, have been actively engaged in sensitizing journalists on hypertension control issues in Bangladesh for almost two years. Over 188 journalists, including editors of leading media newspapers and TV channels, have become more knowledgeable about hypertension, which affects one in every four adults in Bangladesh.
PROGGA has been conducting sensitization sessions and field visits for journalists from national and sub national media, to raise awareness of hypertension control and to create a conducive environment and a priority for the government and public to act. Interactions with doctors, health care workers and patients in rural areas, have left lasting impression on editors, motivating them to include more reports in their newspapers and TV channels, on the symptoms, risks, treatment and the urgency to control hypertension.
Sustained media coverage and evidence-based news reports have propelled the government into action. It has ensured the availability of hypertension control medicines in all community clinics across the country.
Editors of leading media outlets discuss the hypertension control issue at a workshop.
October 2, 2026
On October 29, 2026, the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) will launch Voices from the Margins of Care: People Living with Noncommunicable Diseases in Asia and Africa, a compendium of patient testimonies from Bangladesh, India and Nigeria via a webinar that puts these realities at the center of the conversation on health policy.
September 10, 2026
You're invited to celebrate the graduation of the 2025-2026 cohort of the CSO Budget Advocacy Accelerator: September 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET | 2:00 PM UTC. RSVP here.
Ahead of the ceremony, here's a look at what this cohort achieved.
Over 10 months, GHAI's Advocacy Accelerator strengthened the capacity of 12 civil society organizations (CSOs) from 11 countries across Africa and Asia to influence domestic health financing, combining hands-on learning, expert mentorship and peer exchange. Through capstone projects spanning cardiovascular health, drowning prevention, health security, mental health, road safety and tobacco control, this cohort achieved concrete results.
August 31, 2026
GHAI held an event to hear how 12 civil society organizations from 11 countries across Africa and Asia turned their new skills into results.
