About
Diabetes South Africa (DSA) is a non-profit, public benefit organisation, founded in 1969 to be a support and an advocate for all people with diabetes in South Africa.
DSA has a National Office in Cape Town and 5 branches around the country. Branches are run primarily by volunteers drawn from the ranks of the membership base.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to prevent diabetes through on-going awareness programmes, including screening and promoting healthy lifestyles. We also assist people with diabetes of all ages to live normal healthy lives as free as possible from serious diabetes complications.
Main Focus
- Increasing diabetes awareness, prevention and education amongst South Africans of all ages, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.
- Promoting public awareness of diabetes, its symptoms and risks.
- Acting as an advocate for people with diabetes, lobbying for better facilities, cheaper medication and better services.
- Providing information, education and support to people diagnosed with diabetes in order to encourage understanding and good management and avoid serious complications.
- Starting and sustaining Diabetes Community Wellness Groups in all areas.
- Keeping up to date with the latest research relating to treatment and diagnosis of diabetes
Activities
Advocacy
One of Diabetes SA’s most important roles is to be a voice for all people with diabetes in South Africa, to lobby for improved services and the availability of essential medications. Decision makers in the national health care sector need to recognise that there is an epidemic of diabetes in this country and that action is required to provide care for those involved. Diabetes can be controlled with education, support and motivation and a person with diabetes can live a full, healthy and long life. Diabetes SA aims to assist this process at every level.
Lectures and workshops
Each branch organises regular lectures and workshops from experts on diabetes. At these workshops, the latest diabetes treatments and management techniques are discussed along with other important topics relating to diabetes.
Counselling
As a lay organisation, Diabetes SA does not give medical advice and where necessary people who seek help are referred to the relevant service providers. However, Diabetes SA’s knowledgeable workers, most of whom have diabetes themselves or in their families, are well placed to assist with general management concerns and give encouragement and support – a service that healthcare workers are often too busy to provide.
Diabetes Community Wellness support groups
One of the great strengths of Diabetes SA is its network of Diabetes Community Wellness groups. These groups aim to give people with diabetes the opportunity to share their experiences and benefit from interaction with other people in the same situation as themselves. They are typically run from someone’s home or in a clinic or public facility. They offer personal encouragement and an intimate concern that medical professionals do not have time to give. Health professionals are invited to speak at the groups on topics which can assist people to manage their health. Each support group is unique; it’s nature depending on the people involved. Most have strong ties to and are guided and assisted by a local branch of Diabetes SA.
Camping
Getting out of your home environment and away from your normal support system, living together and learning from each other has proven to be a most successful diabetes management tool around the world – and is particularly important for children with diabetes. Diabetes SA has been running regular camps for children with type 1 nationwide for over 50 years.
DSA also:
- Provides its members with free blood glucose meters and many other free benefits for a very low annual fee.
- Conducts regular screenings and awareness projects throughout our country.
- Endorses products that are carefully screened and tested before receiving the DSA stamp of approval for consumption by people with diabetes.
- Organises workshops and training for home-based carers and nurses which have been approved by the Health Department.
Diabetes S.A. also has a Schools outreach programme, educating school children and teachers about diabetes.
Publications & Newsletters
- Diabetes South Africa has a well established website – www.diabetessa.org.za. On the website, we publish an online quarterly called Diabetes Focus with many articles designed to assist people with diabetes.
- Diabetes S.A. also publishes an annual print magazine that is distributed throughout the country via its branches and Diabetes Community Wellness Groups.
- Diabetes and You is an easy to use beginners guide to diabetes that is available in 5 of the country’s main languages: English, Afrikaans, SeSotho, isiZulu, and iXhosa.