On occasion of International Education Day on January 24, IDF and the International Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) are calling on Ministers of Health and Education to implement the IDF Kids and Diabetes in School (KiDS) project at the national level.

The KiDS project, initiated by IDF, ISPAD and Sanofi in 2013, aims to bring diabetes education to schools to improve the lives of children living with type 1 diabetes, prevent diabetes-related stigma and promote healthy lifestyles to tackle the preventable risk factors of type 2 diabetes.

IDF and ISPAD, with the support of national IDF Members and ISPAD collaborators, have submitted letters to a number of Ministers of Health and Education, requesting the national implementation of KiDS to:

• Improve diabetes knowledge in the school environment among students and school staff;
• Improve understanding of the needs of students living with type 1 diabetes, to foster a safe and supportive school environment;
• Protect children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes from stigma;
• Support efforts to prevent type 2 diabetes by including education on nutrition and healthy lifestyles in national school curricula.

The list of countries targeted:

• Argentina: co-signed by Asociación para el Cuidado de la Diabetes en Argentina - CUI.D.AR (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Bangladesh: co-signed by the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (letter to the Minister of Health)
• Brazil: co-signed by Associação de Diabetes Juvenil, Sociedad Brasileira de Diabetes and Federação Nacional de Associações e Entitades de Diabetes Sociedad Brasileira de Diabetes (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Democratic Republic of Congo: co-signed by the Association des Diabetiques du Congo (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Egypt: co-signed by Prof Mona Abdelkader Salem (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Germany: co-signed by diabetesDE and Prof Thomas Danne (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• India: co-signed by the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Iran: co-signed by Gabric (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Health)
• Japan: co-signed by the Japan Association for Diabetes Education and Care, the Japan Diabetes Society and Prof Tatsuhiko Urakami (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Lebanon: co-signed by the Lebanese Diabetes Society, Chronic Care Center and DiaLeb (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
  
• Mexico: co-signed by the Federación Mexicana de Diabetes (letter to the Secretary of Health / letter to the Secretary of Education)
• Morocco: co-signed by the Ligue Marocaine de la Lutte contre le Diabète (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Nigeria: co-signed by the Diabetes Association of Nigeria and Prof Abiola Oduwole (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Pakistan: co-signed by the Diabetic Association of Pakistan (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Philippines: co-signed by Diabetes Philippines (letter to the Minister of Health Camarines Norte / letter to the Minister of Health Mandulayong / letter to the Minister of Education Camarines Norte / letter to the Minister of Education Mandulayong)
• Poland: co-signed by the Polskie Stowarzyszenie Diabetykow (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
  
• Russian Federation: co-signed by the Russian Diabetes Federation (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Spain: co-signed by the Sociedad Española de Diabetes and Dr Roque Cardona-Hernández (letter to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education)
• Sri Lanka: co-signed by the Diabetes Association of Sri Lanka (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)
• Turkey: co-signed by the Turkish Diabetes Foundation (letter to the Minister of Health / letter to the Minister of Education)