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Over 280 million people live with diabetes worldwide. 1 How is AYUDA involved in improving the lives of people with diabetes?
 • Each year four million deaths are caused by diabetes 2
• More than 75,000 children under 14 are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes every year 3
• Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in children around the world - type 1 diabetes rates are increasing by 3% each year 4
• In the US nearly 80 people per day- half of them children - are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S 5
• 4 out of 5 people with diabetes live in low and middle income countries 6
AYUDA is dedicated to motivating young people to live happier and healthier lives with diabetes. AYUDA works primarily with people living with type 1 (or “insulin dependent”) diabetes, which make up an estimated 5 - 10% of the diabetes population (at least 15,000,000 people) worldwide. Type 1 diabetes is often referred to as “juvenile diabetes” because it represents the majority of diabetes diagnoses in children, but it can affect people at any age. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic disease, that can be managed with insulin therapy and diabetes education. However, without insulin, type 1 diabetes is fatal. In many countries around the world, where families either cannot afford, do not have access to, or don’t know how to properly use insulin, it still is. AYUDA is able to provide life-saving diabetes education to young people with diabetes in countries like the Dominican Republic, where over 40% of its population lives under the poverty line. With the guiding principle that a lack of education is just as dangerous as a lack of insulin, AYUDA works within diabetes communities to help ensure that young people with diabetes not only have access to the medication they need, but most importantly know how to use it properly.
Education and empowerment
 • Diabetes hits people in low- and middle- income countries 10 or 20 years earlier than it does in high-income countries 7
• Millions of people with diabetes around the world face stigma and discrimination, largely due to ignorance and misconceptions surrounding the disease 8
• Diabetes education programs are key to the prevention and control of diabetes 9
• Those who participate in educational and empowerment programs like AYUDA’s “Camp Amigo” have been showed to have consistent improvements in their blood sugar levels over time
AYUDA recruits youth volunteers, with and without diabetes, to work with local communities in countries such as Ecuador to implement community outreach and diabetes education programs for young people living with diabetes. These programs offer an opportunity for young people to meet other young people with diabetes and learn how to better manage their condition, through medication, diet and exercise. Often children come into the programs without knowing, or having little knowledge of how to remedy hypoglycemia, a key concern for people with diabetes; the differences between types of insulin; or knowledge about what “good carbohydrates” are. These programs and diabetes camps not only help to educate these young people, but also begin to break down stereotypes about people living with diabetes and encourage peer-to-peer learning.
Costs of diabetes
 • Diabetes costs USD378 billion in global healthcare spending. This is predicted to increase to USD490 billion by 2030 10
• Only 3% of the USD22 billion health expenditure by international aid agencies in low and middle income countries (LMC)s is allocated to diabetes and related non-communicable diseases11
• For people with diabetes, universal access to essential medicines, technologies and self-care education will cut diabetes-related complications and be cost-effective 12
AYUDA understands the critical importance of education and peer learning in motivating young people to live happier, healthier lives. And the more support young people receive, the better chance they have at living a happier, healthier life. For example, campers who participate in AYUDA supported camps for three summers or more show lower, better maintained hb1aC levels (maintaining lower hbA1C levels significantly lowers chances for diabetes related complications).
Help Support AYUDA
To continue to support these programs, AYUDA also understand there is a great financial burden and limited funding available. That’s why AYUDA’s unique organizational model empowers young people not only to be agents of social change within the diabetes communities AYUDA supports, but also to raise money that directly funds AYUDA programs. In fact without the support of our volunteers, AYUDA would be unable to support the in country programs. Additional financial support for the programs comes from supporters like you. Interested in getting involved in AYUDA? Click here to learn about how you can support our organization.
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To learn more about diabetes statistics from around the world, visit:
International Diabetes Foundation
Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation International
Diabetes Atlas
Additional References
References are directly linked to the statistics within the documents.
Additional references include:
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