Hi, I’m Niyat Yohannes, and I have been living with type 1 diabetes since I was 6. Diabetes has been a good way to keep me healthy. It guides me in a sound nutrition system. When I think of nutrition, it is generally our physical well-being and the critical approach that helps our organisms grow. Still, as humans, we think our body stays the same, so we don’t give it much care, especially when life forces us to prioritise other things for survival and pleasure. But the fact is that our health is what guides us to function. Since I am interested in psychology and fashion design, I graduated this year in general psychology and am looking forward to doing my masters in social psychology and working in a counselling centre as a mental screener. In fashion design, I am a level 1 student working as an assistant with a very famous and talented designer in Ethiopia. I believe a human is free from existence alone if he has a stable mental, physical, and spiritual state because one can’t exist without the other. The mind is a powerful tool that stores and spreads our existential meaning. As a diabetic, stress and lack of self-management are the major factors for uncontrolled blood sugar levels. In Ethiopia, little attention is given to stress management and self-monitoring. The focus is on the amount of insulin. As an artistic person who wants to design clothes and express myself through them, I want to contribute by organising fund-raising fashion programmes to spread awareness of diabetes.
As part of this advocacy, I want to use my knowledge and skills to help people with diabetes. For example, in the Ethiopian Diabetes Association, I am developing a project proposal for organising fashion shows to raise funds for people living with diabetes and provide free counselling services. In addition, I want to be an IDF Member and advocate for diabetes in the future.
