IDF joins forces with Rotary International
The International Diabetes Federation will attend the 100th Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, UK from June 21-24 to discuss the global epidemic of diabetes and the joint efforts to tackle the disease. On June 22, IDF experts will participate in a session on “Rotarians Respond to the Worldwide Epidemic of Diabetes." The session is organized by the Rotarian Action Group (RAG) which is led by President Wayne Edwards. It’s members include IDF President Professor Martin Silink, IDF Vice President Dr Massimo Benedetti and IDF Insulin Task Force Chair Dr Larry Deeb who are also Rotarians. The event will also be attended by IDF CEO/Executive Director Ann Keeling. IDF will also exhibit information on diabetes through a stand in the Fellowship Hall.
Professor Silink will outline the extent of the global diabetes epidemic and its effect on children and adults in developing countries. Over 250 million people live with diabetes worldwide, most of whom live in developing countries. IDF experts will also discuss the plight of children with diabetes in developing countries. Close to 75,000 children in low-income and lower-middle income countries are living with diabetes in desperate circumstances. These children need life-saving insulin to survive. Even more children are in need of the monitoring equipment, test strips and education required to manage their diabetes and avoid the life-threatening complications associated with the disease. A child's access to appropriate medication and care should be a right not a privilege. The IDF Program, Life for a Child supports children with diabetes in developing countries. Rotary International has been a strong supporter of the program which began in 2001.
IDF’s links with Rotary also include collaboration on a diabetes foot care project in the Caribbean with the Rotary Club of Ledbury, UK. In 2008, the International Diabetes Federation approved funding to support the collaboration between the Rotary Club of Ledbury and the Federation’s Consultative Section on the Diabetic Foot. Led by RC Ledbury, funding has been raised from Rotary Clubs, Districts and RI. The programme is led in collaboration with Dr. Karel Bakker, Chair of the Federation’s Consultative Section on the Diabetic Foot and International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot, who will present a paper on the project at the IDF’s World Diabetes Congress in Montreal in October.
