Helping Developing Countries

Have you any unwanted, in-date insulin in your fridge?
IDDT is the UK arm of an Australian organisation, ‘Insulin for Life’ [IFL]. IFL is a not-for-profit organisation which collects unwanted, unopened, in-date insulin and test strips to send developing countries as part of a humanitarian aid programme. Details of IFL can be found by visiting www.insulinforlife.org

Under agreed protocols, IDDT collects and sends unwanted insulin and other diabetes supplies to clinics in developing countries for distribution to children and adults with diabetes who cannot afford insulin and treatment they need to stay alive. IDDT ensures that any insulin and supplies you donate will reach the developing countries in need of our help.

The need is for:

  • No longer needed, unopened and in-date insulin [with at least 3 months to the expiry date]
  • Syringes, lancets, needles
  • Glucose test strips

Please help if you can by sending supplies in a ‘jiffy bag’ or box to:

Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust
PO Box 294
Northampton
NN1 4XS

tel: 01604 622837
fax: 01604 622838
e-mail: insulin@iddtinternational.org

Thank you, you will help people to stay alive!

IDDT helps poor children and young people with diabetes 

IDDT is very aware of the difficulties that adults and children with diabetes face in developing countries – one of the main problems being that they cannot afford the insulin that that need to stay alive or the medical care.

Here is a true story:

“Kilpana was a 5 year old little girl with diabetes who visited the Nagpur clinic regularly with her parents. One day she was brought into the clinic in a coma and ketoacidosis. Her parents had stopped giving her insulin because they simply could not afford it any longer. In desperation they had resorted to alternative medicine. Kilpana died!”

If children with diabetes have adequate daily doses of insulin, they grow normally and can do things that children without diabetes can do. But if the dose is inadequate, then their growth is impaired and their quality of life is adversely affected. If insulin injections are stopped, they go into coma and this can be fatal.

Dream Trust in India was born to help prevent such tragedies.

Through IDDT, you can help too!

Collection of insulin
IDDT collects unwanted, in-date insulin, syringes and blood glucose test strips. We send supplies to help children and young people at Dream Trust in Nagpur where poor families find it difficult or impossible to commit a quarter of their monthly income for the treatment of just one of their children – the child with diabetes. The cost of treatment a month’s treatment for a child ranges between Rs.500 and Rs.1000 according to the type of insulin and the daily dose, yet a labourer earns only Rs.800 a month and a craftsman Rs.1500.

If you have any unwanted, in-date insulin in your refrigerator, put it in a ‘jiffy’ bag and send it to:

IDDT
PO Box 294
Northampton
NN1 4XS

Sponsor a child

IDDT has a sponsor a child scheme and we ask people to give as little as £2.00 a month to sponsor a child at Dream Trust. The cost of insulin for one child is £17.00 per month so if just 9 people make monthly standing order payments of just £2.00 a child’s life-saving insulin will be secured. All the money that is donated goes directly to the children – all the administration costs are paid for by IDDT.

If you could help to sponsor a child, contact:

IDDT
PO Box 294
Northampton
NN1 4XS

tel: 01604 622837
e-mail: martin@iddtinternational.org
The forms will be sent to you.

About Dream Trust

“Shreeniwas”
Opp. Dhantoli Park
Nagpur 440 01
India

www.dreamtrust.org 

In 1995 Dream Trust was founded by Dr Sharad Pendsey and his wife, after the tragic deaths of Kalpana and another little girl, Sudha.

Dr Pendsey, consultant in diabetes, says:

“Sudha was 8 years old and had just been diagnosed with diabetes. I counseleed her parents and explained about insulin and its importance for survival. Sudha’s poor illiterate parents were very attentive and finally her father asked me, ‘Doctor, if I understand you correctly, does Sudha have to take insulin everyday for the rest of her life?’ ‘Well, if she didn’t, she would go into a coma and if left unattended she would die’, I explained. He nodded calmly and had clearly understood everything I said and I was happy the counselling had worked. I gave Sudha a pat on the head as she left the clinic. A month later I learnt that Sudah had died. Her father quite intentionally stopped giving her insulin, knowing very well what the result would be. The logic of poverty had overpowered the logic of life.”

The ways Dream Trust helps:

  • To date 150 children with diabetes have been helped by being given free insulin, syringes, test strips, where possible, and their health is monitored.
  • Social, cultural and economic factors in India lead to discrimination against girls with diabetes and parents find it difficult to arrange marriages for their daughters with diabetes. Dream Trust aims to help young women with diabetes to become financially self-reliant by focusing on vocational training in tailoring, telephone operations and nursing.
  • The Trust has arranged 10 marriages of girls with diabetes, all of whom are happily settled.