Kagiso Molosiwa (Botswana)

Regional Representative, Africa

Living with type 1 diabetes since 1999

Kagiso is a driver in his own tour company, and he volunteers in two different charities where he raises awareness about diabetes. He has been collaborating with his doctor to accompany young people newly diagnosed with diabetes. He believes in being active online, especially on social media, to build strong support groups where people feel safe and heard. Kagiso thinks national and regional action, with the support of governments, is necessary to living in a world where all recognise diabetes symptoms, and where all people with diabetes can lead the life they want, free of worries.

Sarah Biyinzika (Uganda)

Regional Representative-elect, Africa

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2007

Sarah is an active volunteer at the patient-led organisation Africa Diabetes Alliance, whose focus is to nurture a vibrant, engaged and empowered community of people with diabetes through education, psycho-social support, community engagement and advocacy. She is also an aspiring hospitality entrepreneur. As a young advocate living with diabetes, Sarah shares her views, experience, struggles and triumphs within the Uganda Diabetes Association, and in posts published on the Ugandan Diabetic blog.

Uroš Bogdanović (Serbia)

Regional Representative, Europe

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2010

Uroš is an MA student of Intellectual property law at the University of Belgrade. He has been an active member of the Diabetes Association of Serbia since 2014 and a board member since 2017. In this quality, he coordinates and participates in camps, sports tournaments, meetings, etc. Uroš has always been impressed with the YLD Programme and its members. Being part of it and participating in two Training Summits had allowed him to witness its impact first hand. He believes in a future with stronger regional collaboration between YLD members and the IDF regional office to allow the development of global projects on awareness, education and access to care.

Ines Jakopanec (Croatia)

Regional Representative-elect, Europe

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2005

Ines is a graduate student at the Faculty of Architecture in Zagreb. She is a member of the Presidency of the Zagreb Diabetes Society and the leader of their Youth Club. Sports is essential to her: she is part of a Croatian futsal team (DiaEuro) as team manager, volunteers in a sports society and actively tries to connect sports and diabetes. Ines thinks social media are fundamental to connect people with diabetes around the world. Thanks to them, she hopes to prove that people with diabetes can do anything they set their mind to, including any kind of sports.

Aziza Bokhari (Saudi Arabia)

Regional Representative, Middle East and North Africa

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2000

Aziza is a medical student who aspires to bring about change in the Arab world with the help of her fellow MENA region members and neighbouring regions. Acting as Regional Representative-elect has given her the opportunity to gain the proper experience of completing her own YLD individual project “Diabetes Youth Club”. Thanks to this unique project implementation process, she feels now ready to act as Regional Representative and have a positive impact in the diabetes community of the MENA region.

Mishary Alassiri (Saudi Arabia)

Regional Representative-elect, Middle East and North Africa

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2005

Mishary is a medical student who believes that motivated young people, who aspire to build a better future, are the ones that can achieve real changes. He wishes for the YLD members to become a strong and united community, and to thrive by teaming up with each other and by seeking guidance from knowledgeable peers and mentors.

Diana Estephanía Novelo Alzina (Mexico)

Regional Representative, North America and Caribbean

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2010

Diana is a nutritionist and diabetes educator. She exercises daily, sometimes at the gym, sometimes by going for a walk with her dogs and her friends and family, and she also enjoys reading and traveling the world. Diana works as a volunteer at her hometown diabetes association, where she was elected board member at the Council Secretariat. During the coming years, she wishes to encourage adults living with type 1 diabetes to connect by engaging in public activities and workshops. She believes it is essential to promote spaces where people with diabetes can meet, exchange, and where the diabetes community becomes stronger.

Nurianne Arias Javier (Aruba)

Regional Representative-elect, North America and Caribbean

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2015

Nurianne currently works as a lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Science of the University of Aruba. She works with the local diabetes foundation for a research in relation to an educational program for people with type 2 diabetes. She is active on social media and regularly holds interviews to educate about diabetes and share her own experience. She believes in building a stronger regional collaboration through the identification of common challenges, and she is convinced that a regional camp would answer the needs of young people. Learning from other people’s experiences and identifying strengths and weaknesses could help build a guideline for camps in the region.

Lucas Xavier de Oliveira (Brazil)

Regional Representative, South and Central America

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2008

Lucas has work experience in the field of diabetes, and more generally in the field of NCDs and SDGs. He has been active in leadership programme both at the national and international level. Lucas wishes to represent the YLDs and their associations by constantly looking to improve diabetes prevention, access to care and, more than anything, education. He believes that diabetes education is key to diabetes management, and that it must be inclusive of all people (with diabetes or not), and adapted to the audience (scientific knowledge, empathy development, learning practices). As Lucas says, “education changes people, and people change the world”.

Violeta Houlton (Argentina)

Regional Representative-elect, South and Central America

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2004

Violeta is a student at the University of Buenos Aires. She also works at a coffee store and passionate about everything related to art: particularly photography and dance. Becoming a Young Leader in her association CUI.D.AR. has inspired her to make a change in the diabetes community. Violeta has built relationships with people living with diabetes from all around the world, and it has made her realise the power than youth has in its hands, at the individual and community level, at the national and global scale. Violeta wants to empower and strengthen the bonds between the YLDs to achieve an improvement in the lives of people with diabetes.

Kush Patel (India)

Regional Representative, South East Asia

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2000

Kush is a medical doctor. He works as a vitreoretinal surgeon and provides screening, diagnosis and management of retinal disorders. He actively participates in camps focused on diabetic retinopathy, where patients can enjoy a proper treatment and follow-up, not only in urban areas, but also in rural areas of India where there are no eye-care facilities. He is seeking additional sources of support to be able to reach a larger part of the population and to continue working at preventing blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy.

Jyotsana Rangeen (India)

Regional Representative-elect, South East Asia

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2015

Jyotsana is a Project Management Specialist and a professional freelance dancer and choreographer. She is determined to help and people living by using her own experience with the condition, focusing on self-acceptance and self-confidence. As a certified diabetes educator, she often counsels young people with diabetes and helps them deconstruct diabetes myths, notably though social media. Jyotsana believes that being passionate about a cause can empower you, empower others, and make a difference in the world. 

Jeena Kim (South Korea)

Regional Representative, Western Pacific

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2006

Jeena is an insulin pump trainer at Medtronic Korea Diabetes, a job that she finds to be both fun and rewarding. As WP’s Regional Representative, her goal is to raise awareness on type 1 diabetes and educate the public to the reality of diabetes technology to avoid misconceptions. She believes this is essential in a region that is still developing. Jeena’s focus and priority is awareness raising because she wishes for a healthy diabetes market to settle.

John Nathaniel Henares (Philippines)

Regional Representative-elect, Western Pacific

Living with type 1 diabetes since 2015

John Nathaniel is a college student who is highly interested in marketing management. He has an interest in the pharmaceutical industry and the production of insulin, and would like explore this field professionally in the future. John Nathaniel is a basketball player who is ready to listen to the needs of the other YLD members and youths of his region to identify the regional diabetes-related priorities and focus areas.