The new fundraising project aims to empower 1500 children and youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in Georgia to interact more with their peers, support each other and feel better integrated in their society.
20 February 2024 Effie Voursouki
WDF is launching a new fundraising project in 2024, titled ‘DiabetesCare360: Inclusive camps and digital education for children and youth with T1D in Georgia’. The project will be rolled out by NCD Alliance Georgia, a network organisation founded in 2018 by local partners actively working on disease prevention and health promotion issues.
WDF has been collaborating with partners in Georgia for over a decade, and this project is expected to further strengthen their impact in the country.
Despite intensive urbanisation, 40% of the Georgian population is still rural, with 17.5% living below the national poverty line. In such low-resource settings, the population is more vulnerable to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes. According to the 2022 IDF Atlas Report, type 1 diabetes (T1D) cases have been increasing in most countries, including Georgia, where T1D is growing at 5.2% each year. A third of the number of registered T1D cases are children and youth aged 1-19 years old.
Compared to the capital Tbilisi, children and adolescents with T1D living in rural areas have significantly limited medical services and they lack access to knowledgeable providers and diabetes self-management education.
The government, in collaboration with other stakeholders including WDF, is making considerable progress in ensuring access to T1D care and educate on diabetes management.
However, major gaps remain. The school personnel have limited knowledge in managing T1D among children, and patients often lack the means to travel regularly to Tbilisi for diabetes care. Moreover, the lack of education and of support systems make it difficult for caregivers to manage their children’s diabetes.
The 2024 fundraiser seeks to help close these gaps, based on a decade of WDF experience in the country. The project aims to organise T1D camps for children and their caregivers from all regions of Georgia to help build a supportive and informed community. Children would learn how to manage diabetes and get psychosocial support from peers online and in real life, promoting their well-being and a sense of belonging.
It will also work on developing a digital education platform for diabetes awareness and management. The content will be co-created with families, parent organisations and healthcare professionals to ensure culturally diverse and inclusive resources.
“DiabetesCare360 project will have a holistic approach to care for youth with diabetes in Georgia”, says Simon Gabritchidze, DiabetesCare360 project manager and Chair of Board in the NCD Alliance in Georgia.
“It will empower children with diabetes as well as their parents and caregivers through camps, innovative digital diabetes solutions and centers of excellence”.
The project will take place over 18 months and will complement the current WDF project in the country, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to strengthen the rights to health and education for children with T1D.
The current WDF project that the fundraiser will complement
The current WDF project that the fundraiser will complement.