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 include Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Spain, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
