Diabetes Hands Foundation, with the support of Roche Diabetes Care, donates $74,000 to the IDF Life for a Child and Insulin for Life
BERKELEY, CA: January 24, 2011 – Today, Diabetes Hands Foundation announced the donation of $74,000 to two important diabetes charities that help people with diabetes around the world. The Life For a Child programme, run by the International Diabetes Federation, and Insulin For Life provide insulin and other diabetes supplies to thousands of people in developing countries.
The money was raised through a grassroots online diabetes awareness campaign called Big Blue Test. Each time the video at www.BigBlueTest.org was viewed between Nov. 1 and Nov. 14, 2010, Roche Diabetes Care committed to make a donation of 75 cents, up to $75,000, to Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) in support of its charity partners. The video went viral and was viewed over 123,000 times.
Half the funds donated will go to Life for a Child, and the other half to Insulin For Life, less one thousand dollars to Diabetes Hands Foundation for administrative expenses.
The International Diabetes Federation estimates there are 480,000 children with type 1 diabetes under the age of 15 in the world, around 250,000 living in developing nations. Graham Ogle, MD, IDF Life for a Child Programme Manager, said, “This is a great way to encourage people about the importance of exercise and of family in diabetes care. Life for a Child is now in 28 countries and commencing support in five more. We have so many still to reach.”
Ron Raab, president of Insulin For Life, put the impact of the dollars in perspective. “A child with type 1 diabetes in Ecuador –one of the countries we serve- will have access to the insulin and test strips she needs for a year for fifty dollars,” he explained. “This grant will go a long way to enable us to collect and distribute insulin and diabetes supplies.”
“Because of these two extraordinary charities, thousands of people will have the insulin they need to survive this year,” said Manny Hernandez, founder of TuDiabetes and President of the Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF). “I am honored and humbled for DHF and the partners that helped us in the Big Blue Test to have a role in something so important.”
The Big Blue Test began in 2009 as an awareness campaign to encourage exercise for those with diabetes. In conjunction with World Diabetes Day on November 14, DHF invited people with diabetes to test their blood sugar, do 14 minutes of activity, test again and share the results.
The 2010 Big Blue Test featured a video to promote the campaign at www.BigBlueTest.org. The video was translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, expanding the number of people who could watch it, understand the message and share it. Diabetes continues to be poorly understood by the general population. The Big Blue Test helps increase public awareness and engages viewers in a positive learning experience, in addition to yielding donations to two life saving charities.
About the Diabetes Hands Foundation
The Diabetes Hands Foundation (DHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects people touched by diabetes and raises diabetes awareness such as the Big Blue Test. Through its online communities (TuDiabetes.org in English, EsTuDiabetes.org in Spanish) and its other social media channels, DHF offers support and information to nearly 200,000 people every month.
About the Big Blue Test team
The 2010 Big Blue Test video was produced by the Diabetes Hands Foundation in collaboration with David Edelman of Diabetes Daily (http://diabetesdaily.com) and Riva Greenberg of Diabetes Stories (http://diabetesstories.com). The video was directed and edited by Sean Ross (http://ethosphane.com).
About Roche Diabetes Care
Roche Diabetes Care is a pioneer in the development of blood glucose monitoring systems and a global leader for diabetes management systems and services. For more than 30 years, Roche has been committed to helping people with diabetes live lives that are as normal and active as possible and has been helping healthcare professionals manage their patients’ condition in an optimal way. Today, the ACCU-CHEK portfolio offers people with diabetes and healthcare professionals innovative products, services and comprehensive solutions for convenient, efficient and effective diabetes management—from blood glucose monitoring through information management to insulin delivery. The ACCU-CHEK brand encompasses blood glucose meters, infusion pumps, lancing and data management systems. For more information, please visit accu-chek.com.
About Insulin For Life
Insulin for Life (IFL) is a non-profit organization that collects in-date, unopened insulin, test strips, and other diabetes supplies from around the world and distributes them to children and adults with diabetes in developing countries. Each year, IFL distributes approximately 250,000 mls of insulin (equal to 25,000 x 10 ml vials) and 8,000 boxes of blood glucose test strips (or 400,000 strips). These supplies have been used to keep children alive in more than 60 countries.
About the IDF Life for a Child Programme
Life for a Child, a programme of the International Diabetes Federation, provides access to care, education and life-saving medicines and supplies to support children with diabetes in 27 of the poorest countries around the world. The programme aims to raise awareness of the plight of children with diabetes and encourages governments to establish appropriate care to safeguard the future of children with diabetes.