• Non-communicable diseases are the primary cause of illness in Albania, accounting for 80% of deaths in 2023. Effective control requires early interventions focusing on vulnerable with limited access to prevention and treatment services.
• Challenges persist, such as poor implementation of health policies, scarce human and financial resources, insufficient coordination across sectors, inadequate training in health promotion, low health literacy and high prevalance of risk factors like high blood pressure, tobacco use, and unhealthy nutrition.

Outcome 1: Schoolchildren (6-15 years), parents, community members, school staff and health professionals have the skills and knowledge to reduce exposure to NCDs risk factors.

Outcome 2: School health promotion programs are institutionalized in a sustainable manner by the Ministries of Health and Education.

Expected Results:  

• Schoolchildren (6-15 years), parents and community members are engaged and trained in healthy behaviours
• Teachers and health promotion specialists’ engagement in school-based health promotion programs is increased
• Responsibility for local actions plans, health coordinator position, digital tools, is taken over by MoHSP and MoES through their affiliated institutions.
• Core curricula for promoting healthy behaviours and safe environment is improved and officially endorsed

Results from previous phase:  

• Establishment of a policy framework for health promotion and NCD control including job descriptions for health promotion specialists nationwide;
• An e-learning platform with health modules for teachers training up and running;
• Creation of a network of 120 school health coordinators, supported with operational manuals and templates to conduct school-based activities;
• Establishment of joint annual health plans for selected local health and education offices;
• Integration of health modules into extracurricular hours in 120 schools;
• Delivery of health promotion and education campaigns for children, parents and communities including development of five digital applications on healthy behaviours, used nationwide in digital competitions for school aged children.