On the occasion of World Teachers Day, IDF are calling on a number of Ministers of Health and Education to implement the Kids and Diabetes in School (KiDS) programme at the national level.

This is a follow-up of the outreach campaign IDF and ISPAD undertook in January 2021, on the occasion of International Education Day.

The KiDS programme, 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 knowledge of diabetes in the school environment among students and school staff;
• Clarify the differences between types 1 and 2 diabetes;
• Improve understanding about the needs of students living with type 1 diabetes, in order to foster a safe and supportive school environment, and encourage learning and a happy school experience;
• Protect children and adolescents living with type 1 diabetes from stigma;
• Support efforts to prevent type 2 diabetes by including education on healthy food choices and lifestyles in national school curricula.

The countries targeted include:

• Brazil
• Bangladesh
• India
• Lebanon
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka
• Morocco