Blue supports Denim for Diabetes

Standard Bank in collaboration with the Namibia Diabetes Lifestyle Foundation recently raised an impressive N$18,275 for the foundation’s Denim for Diabetes day earlier this week.
The annual fundraising activity saw the bank’s employees rally together to buy awareness stickers in support of diabetic patients. These proceeds will be used by the foundation to support twelve underprivileged children with Type 1 diabetes. The funds will pay for their insulin cartridges, tests strips and doctor consultation fees for a month.
November is Diabetes Awareness month and 14 November is World Diabetes Day, however Denim for Diabetes day was commemorated on 11 November at Standard Bank.
Standard Bank’s Employee Wellness Consultant, Cicile Fouche, who headed the fund raising campaign said it was pertinent to raise awareness on the disease and support those in need because it is a life-threatening disease. “This cause is very important because it is for children who can not afford insulin which they need because they could die without it. People are also uneducated when it comes to diabetes,” she said.
The Namibia Diabetes Lifestyle Foundation, which was founded in 2012, exists to support underprivileged children with Type 1 diabetes, and to creat awareness of the disease. The foundation is the brainchild of Maryke de Vos, who is also a Type 1 diabetes patient.
The 12 children under the foundation’s care need a combined 60 insulin cartridges and 2400 tests strips, totalling a monthly cost of N$1452.36 per child and N$17,430 for all of them. Other needs for the children include clothes, school fees and travel costs.
Heloise Kotze of Namibia Diabetes Lifestyle Foundation expressed her gratitude to the bank’s employees for their help, She said awareness is important since the disease is on the rise with many people unaware that they are suffering from it.
“Having corporate companies like Standard Bank on board with this initiative is a welcome relief and it is highly appreciated. Additionally, it creates not only awareness among their own employees but with their families and friends as well,” she said.
Apart from being fatal, diabetes left untreated could lead to complications like blindness, kidney problems, heart attacks, strokes or amputations.
“The more people we can make aware of diabetes the better. Type 2 diabetes can in some cases be prevented or otherwise be successfully managed. The next diabetic being diagnosed might be either yourself or someone close to you so people need to know the symptoms of diabetes and get their sugar levels tested,” Kotze noted.