Insulin For Life: how can I help?

The Young Leaders in Diabetes had the honour of meeting the Insulin For Life Australian team at the World Diabetes Congress in Melbourne this year. Insulin For Life is a not-for profit organisation that collects insulin and other diabetes supplies that would otherwise be wasted, to be redistributed to countries who cannot afford it or places affected by natural disasters. While some Young Leaders have had first hand experiences with limited access to insulin or diabetes supplies, we are all well aware of the consequences. Insulin For Life inspired many Young Leaders to take action to reduce this inequality. Many of us wanted to know what the best way is to help. So a couple of weeks after the congress, Elizabeth, a Young Leader from London, and I were invited to visit the main distribution centre in Ballarat, Australia to see how everything works. Check out Elizabeth’s blog post on what goes on behind the scenes at Insulin For Life here.

So how can you help Insulin For Life continue saving lives across the globe?

Looking around the distribution centre, there’s plenty of supplies of insulin, blood glucose meters, needles and syringes. Sure a few donations of unwanted test strips would be great, but having supplies sitting in a garage doesn’t do anything to save lives! Insulin For Life are always welcoming monetary donations to help fund postage for supplies. A small package of about 2kg could cost about A$200 to post! Understandably, we are not made of cash. But if many people provided small donations, it all adds up, which would enable life saving supplies to be sent.

Insulin For Life also donate insulin and diabetes supplies to diabetes camps in several countries. These camps are often a way to educate families on diabetes care by providing them with access to medical staff and students. Organisations in these countries often struggle to put these camps together due to cost. If you know of any such diabetes camp in your country, you can help by volunteering your time and efforts to keep these camps running.

At the end of the day, the most important thing is to continue raising awareness about Insulin For Life and what they do. Spread the word about their work on social media and to diabetes organisations. Contact them if you are not able to access insulin for whatever reason. They will help in any way they can.

For more information on Insulin For Life and how or where to donate please visit http://www.insulinforlife.org.