AstraZeneca Commits Millions to Educating Young People on Non-Communicable Diseases

AstraZeneca has committed to extending its Young Health Programme for a further five years (until 2025), spending $35 million to help educate young people on how to reduce the risks of non-communicable diseases.

The program was launched in 2010 as a focus of the company’s philanthropic role globally. Designed to reach young people in under-resourced communities, the disease prevention program has worked to reduce risk behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, poor diet, and lack of exercise. 

“Non-communicable diseases continue to be the number one cause of death worldwide, and around 70% of those deaths can be linked to behavior that begins in adolescence,” said Marc Dunoyer, chief financial officer, in an Oct. 22, 2019 press release. “The Young Health Programme is AstraZeneca’s key philanthropic initiative that has already reached more than three million young people across the world. I’m proud to say that this extra funding will see the program expand into Thailand, Egypt, Colombia and beyond, and reach a further five million young people by 2025.”

Rose Caldwell, chief executive, Plan International UK, added, “Ten years ago we co-founded the Young Health Programme with AstraZeneca, and at the time, we were entering a space where we knew there was a lot that needed to be done. The health of young people was not high on the global agenda and their rights were not being recognized. What we have accomplished together is a true reflection of the trust and collaboration of our partnership and learnings shared across the globe from Brazil to Indonesia. We are moving in the right direction with a marked increase in global health discussions addressing the health rights of young people and the threat of non-communicable diseases. Together over the next five years we will continue to champion the rights of young people.”

Source: AstraZeneca