Diabetes in school campaign in Argentina

The Argentinean organization CUI.D.AR will be marking the World Diabetes Day 2008 campaign, focussing on diabetes in children and adolescents, by organizing its ‘Diabetes goes to school’ programme for what will now be the third year.

The programme is aimed at managers, physical education teachers, school personnel and anyone whose job is related with the care of children and adolescents with diabetes in the school. The course aims to offer essential skills and information to facilitate the schooling and social integration of children with diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease which requires constant monitoring and attention. Diabetes demands the active participation of the child, the family and those involved in the development and growth of the child with diabetes, including the school that the child attends. The programme was conceived to facilitate school life for the child with diabetes, and to ensure a safe environment and full participation in all school activities, without discrimination or exclusion. The teachers and other school personnel are taught to deal with the different situations that they could be presented with.

In the training session, which takes place at the school, CUI.D.AR hands out materials with information and certificates to all participants. A condition of the programme is that all school personnel attend the course, so that the knowledge can be shared. The programme ‘Diabetes goes to school’ is funded thanks to a scholarship fund created by CUI.D.AR with the aim of covering those schools attended by children with diabetes and to avoid any extra cost for the school. Thus far, the initiative has trained more than a thousand school staff responsible for the care and education of children with diabetes.

For more information, visit www.cuidar.org or contact the association at cuidar@cuidar.org.