In South Africa, managing diabetes in children and adolescents can be especially challenging. South Africa is a country of great socio-economic and ethnic diversity, where healthcare, like culture, languages and customs, varies significantly from one area to another. Furthermore, access to healthcare depends on affordability and availability, ranging in quality between developed- and developing-world standards. With these challenges in mind, the DAWN Youth South Africa survey was undertaken to evaluate the effects of diabetes on young people with the condition and their  family. Jacobus van Dyk highlights some of the survey  findings and draws a number of conclusions with important ramifications for adults who care for children and adolescents with diabetes.