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Life for a Child
In many developing countries, children with diabetes suffer because insulin and other diabetes supplies are not affordable or sometimes not even available. Many children die soon after diagnosis. Many others face the burden of complications while still young.
The International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child Program supports the care of 1000 children in the following countries: Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Mali, Ecuador, Sudan and Cameroon.
The Program works with diabetes centers in these countries to provide the clinical care and diabetes education that the children in their care need to stay alive. The centers provide comprehensive clinical and financial feedback.
The goals of the Program are to provide:
- Sufficient insulin and syringes
- Blood glucose monitoring facilities
- Appropriate clinical care
- HbA1c testing
- Diabetes education
- Technical support for health professionals (if requested)
The Program aims to raise awareness of the plight of children with diabetes in the countries in which it is present and encourages governments to establish appropriate care to safeguard the future of children with diabetes.
The Program is supported by donations from individuals, diabetes representative organizations, Rotary International and companies working in diabetes. Funds to support the Program are also generated by the International Diabetes Federation through the sale of World Diabetes Day merchandizing. Most individual donors contribute a dollar a day. Support is provided to recognized diabetes centers to purchase insulin and syringes, and provide monitoring and education. Financial trails and the health outcomes of the children are carefully monitored.
The goal for the Program in 2008 is to build sufficient capacity to support a further 500 children with diabetes. Help us to help children with diabetes to realize their potential.
Donate online at www.lifeforachild.org or help the Program by purchasing World Diabetes Day merchandize from www.worlddiabetesday.org.
The International Diabetes Federation
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is the global advocate for the 250 million people with diabetes worldwide as well as their families and healthcare providers. It represents more than 200 diabetes associations in over 160 countries. The Federation is a non-governmental organization in official relations with the World Health Organization and is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations. IDF leads the World Diabetes Day and Unite for Diabetes campaigns.
The mission of IDF is “to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide”, a statement of intent that addresses the challenges facing the global diabetes community in the 21st century.
- Care: the core activity of IDF remains the promotion of the best possible care for anyone who lives with diabetes. IDF works in close collaboration with its member associations to increase access to and improve the quality of care that is currently available for people with diabetes.
- Prevention: prevention is the only realistic way to slow the rate at which diabetes is increasing and to lessen the impact of diabetes upon the quality of life of those currently living with the disease. IDF encourages the implementation of prevention programmes to reduce the risk of diabetes for the general population and to reduce the risk of complications in people living with diabetes.
- Cure: while IDF does not support research directly, through awareness and education it encourages the efforts of those who seek to further understand the causes of diabetes and of those whose aim it is to find a cure.
- IDF activities include advocacy and lobbying work, education for people with diabetes and their healthcare providers, public awareness and health improvement campaigns, as well as the promotion of the free exchange of diabetes knowledge. A few examples include:
- World Diabetes Day, the primary awareness campaign of the diabetes world, now a United Nations World Day;
- United Nations Resolution 61/225: World Diabetes Day, as a result of the successful Unite for Diabetes campaign;
- IDF Task Forces’ efforts on specific issues such as access to insulin, epidemiology, prevention, diabetes foot care, diabetes in children, guidelines for diabetes care and the economics of diabetes care;
- IDF serial and non-serial publications, including the Diabetes Atlas (global prevalence data) and Diabetes Voice (magazine);
- B.R.I.D.G.E.S, a grant programme which supports translational research projects in diabetes prevention and treatment globally;
- IDF online (www.idf.org), a source of up-to-date information about the International Diabetes Federation and its activities.
World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day is an official United Nation’s World Health Day. It is celebrated every year on November 14. The date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who, along with Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin in 1921. World Diabetes Day is represented by a blue circle logo. The blue circle is the global symbol of diabetes and signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes pandemic.
World Diabetes Day was created by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1991, in response to concern over the escalating incidence of diabetes around the world. The International Diabetes Federation leads the World Diabetes Day campaign
The theme for World Diabetes Day 2008 is Diabetes in Children and Adolescents.
Through its Unite for Diabetes campaign, IDF led the push for a United Nations Resolution on diabetes. On December 20, 2006, that goal was realized when the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed Resolution 61/225, which designates the existing World Diabetes Day as a United Nations world day, to be observed every year beginning in 2007.
World Diabetes Day is a global event. It brings together millions of people in over 160 countries to raise awareness of diabetes, including children and adults affected by diabetes, healthcare professionals, healthcare decision-makers and the media. Numerous local and national events are organized by the member associations of the International Diabetes Federation and by other associations and organizations, healthcare professionals, healthcare authorities, and individuals with an interest in diabetes. World Diabetes Day unites the global diabetes community to produce a powerful voice for diabetes awareness.
Diabetes organizations and individuals worldwide establish a range of activities tailored to a variety of target audiences. Activities organized every year include such things as: lighting of global monuments in blue on November 14, formation of blue circles around the world, global diabetes walks and rides, a WDD car in the Baja 1000 race, press conferences, in-school activities, sports activities, free screenings for diabetes and its complications, workshops and exhibitions, and geocaching with WDD coins. To find out more visit www.worlddiabetesday.org.