Life for a Child Program

"Diabetes is a great challenge in the developing world. Many children and adolescents with diabetes die quickly or are chronically unwell due to lack of availability of quality care. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Life for a Child Programme currently supports diabetes clinics/hospitals caring for children and adolescents in 43 countries.

The IDF Diabetes Atlas (Sixth Edition, 2013) estimates that there are over 497,000 children under 15 years with type 1 diabetes. There is probably a similar number of youth with diabetes aged 15-25.

However, the estimates for numbers of children and youth in many developing countries are very incertain due to lack of data. Additionally type 2 diabetes is on the increase in children and adolescents in all countries irrespective of socio-economic status. It is estimated that 80-100,000 children and youth around the world are in urgent need of assistance.

Lack of access to insulin remains the most common cause of death in a child with diabetes (Gale, 2006). The estimated life expectancy of a child who has just developed diabetes could be less than a year in some areas (Beran et al, 2005). Many die undiagnosed, others through lack of insulin or lack of expert care. In some countries, expert care is available but resources are limited and so early and serious complications frequently lead to death in young adulthood."

By donating just $1 a day to the IDF Life for a Child (LFAC) Programme, you can provide a child with:

• Regular insulin
• Quality blood glucose monitoring equipment (meter, strips, lancets)
• Essential clinical care
• Up-to-date diabetes education materials
• Specialised diabetes training for medical staff 

The Programme aims to provide:

• Sufficient insulin and syringes
• Blood glucose monitoring equipment
• Appropriate clinical care
• HbA1c testing
• Diabetes education
• Technical support for health professionals

Please go to: http://www.idf.org/lifeforachild/donate