Previous Diabetes Programs & Communties

En El Camino

The En El Camino program was piloted in 2016, in collaboration with our local partner Aprendiendo A Vivir (AAV), with the goal of taking the diabetes education component of the Campo Amigo program on the road to other provinces and more rural areas in the Dominican Republic. This program ran successfully from 2016 to 2019 and volunteers were able to learn from and empower people living with diabetes in nearly ten different provinces around the country. Since the first year of this program, the collaboration between AYUDA volunteers and AAV volunteers was so impactful that the foundation no longer needs assistance from AYUDA to run this program. Instead, AAV will continue to hold diabetes education workshops throughout the Dominican Republic during the majority of the year and AYUDA volunteers will assist them for one week over the summer as a part of the Campo Amigo program.

En El Camino Summer Program 2018

“Going to these outreaches, I learned that AYUDA is truly filling a need in the community. The education that we are providing is an essential service that works to change the lives of hundreds of people. Diabetes is an incredibly complex disease that goes way beyond just remembering to take a pill. AYUDA is dedicated to providing the education that helps people juggle blood glucose monitoring, medication, nutrition, and exercise … It was truly a privilege to learn about a country by living and working side by side with the community.” - Taylor DeGroff, 2018 En El Camino Volunteer

Ecuador

We have worked with our local partner in Quito, Ecuador, Fundación Diabetes Juvenil Ecuador (FDJE), in order to offer sustainable, locally appropriate, and high-quality programs.

Working with FDJE, AYUDA empowered young people living with diabetes in Ecuador for over ten years. Below is a summary of our 2012 summer program.

AYUDA Summer Program Ecuador 2012

“I don’t have enough space to describe AYUDA’s impact! It not only helped me to understand diabetes with a world perspective but also to embrace my own diabetes. Working with all sorts of people with different perspectives on diabetes helped me to see it in such a new light.”- Suzette Morabito, 2012 AYUDA Ecuador volunteer

In July 2012, 15 AYUDA volunteers, 2 volunteer mentors, 2 volunteer mentors-in-training, and 5 volunteer health care professionals traveled to Quito, Ecuador to take part in the 2012 Summer Ecuador Volunteer Program. Leading up to and over the course of 3 weeks, AYUDA volunteers, working with FDJE, experienced an extensive training program that prepared them for their in-country experiences and carried out Campo Amigo Ecuador, a five-day overnight diabetes camp. They also took part in outreach activities, visited the homes of their campers, and planned camp activities with FDJE youth leaders. At the camp, AYUDA volunteers and FDJE youth leaders became committed Campo Amigo counselors.

AYUDA volunteers said that two of the most powerful experiences of the program were the home visits and camp. The goal of the home visits, led by FDJE youth leaders, was to give volunteers the chance to meet first-time campers prior to Campo Amigo. It also gave volunteers a greater understanding of the daily lives of those living with type 1 diabetes in Ecuador. Volunteers and youth leaders, who visited approximately 3 houses each, were able to gather information from families about diabetes care prior to camp and also answer questions from parents about the program.

The home visits helped prepare volunteers for Campo Amigo Ecuador, which was attended by 72 campers from ages 5 to 18. Working together with youth leaders, counselors-in-training, FDJE’s technical staff, endocrinologists, and a medical team, volunteers supported campers through education, nutrition, sports, and arts activities during the five-day program. Learning through doing was a major emphasis of the camps – even meal times served as key learning opportunities with discussions encouraged at each table around portion size and carbohydrate counting. These activities, coupled with the personal fundraising efforts by each volunteer, helped to directly impact the lives of 72 Ecuadorian youth living with diabetes and their families.

Haiti

We have worked with our local partner in Haiti, Fondation Haïtienne de Diabète et de Maladies Cardio-Vasculaires (FHADIMAC), in order to offer sustainable, locally appropriate, and high-quality programs.

AYUDA Summer Program Haiti

AYUDA began its involvement in Haiti by supporting the first-ever Haitian diabetes education camp for young people living with type 1 diabetes, Camp de l'Amitié, back in February 2012. The camp was coordinated by our partner, local diabetes organization FHADIMAC, and based in Port-au-Prince. Since then, AYUDA facilitated an international exchange program for youth with type 1 diabetes in Haiti and the neighboring country, the Dominican Republic. After nearly two years of ground work, AYUDA piloted its first volunteer program in Haiti.

Click here to read about one of our volunteers’ experiences during the 2015 AYUDA Summer Program Haiti.