A number of schools in Delhi will be amongst the first in India to receive information and valuable training on how to educate teachers, students and parents on diabetes (type 1 and type 2) in school. The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY), the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Sanofi India announced the roll-out of the Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) ‘School Diabetes Information Pack’ designed for India in public and private schools in Delhi. This information pack was released in the presence of important stakeholders including MoHFW, GoI, Department of Education and Health, Govt. of NCT of Delhi.
The KiDS initiative, launched in India in September 2013, is a school-based intervention that aims to counteract diabetes related discrimination and foster a supportive learning environment in schools around both types of diabetes.
15 schools (both government and private) will receive training sessions and Information Packs on managing diabetes which will offer information on diabetes management to children with diabetes, as well as teachers and parents of children with diabetes. The pack suggests interesting extra-curricular activities to engage children on the issue. HRIDAY, the partner NGO implementing KiDS training programmes in schools, estimates that education sessions and information about diabetes will reach approximately 3,00,000 students, teachers and families by the end of 2014.
“As a part of Project KiDS, our school has collaborated with HRIDAY to conduct teachers’ trainings to sensitise teachers about taking care of children who have diabetes, as well as motivating children to adopt healthy lifestyles. The project is an excellent opportunity for us to empower teachers for reaching out to parents and seeking their cooperation – both in terms of caring for people with type 1 and for making efforts to prevent children from developing type 2 diabetes later in life,” said Madhulika Sen, Principal, Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar.
School training sessions will focus on educating teachers and school staff on diabetes; symptoms associated with episodes of high and low blood sugar and how to respond in case of emergency situations. Educational sessions will also be available to parents and children. A ‘diabetes in schools’ app available in Hindi and English featuring interactive elements of the pack, will be available later in the year, ensuring that diabetes information reaches as many people as possible.
“By tackling diabetes, early-on in schools, the KiDS project has a unique opportunity to influence how we perceive and manage diabetes in and outside of school” said Dr David Chaney, Senior Education Specialist at IDF. “We want children to feel comfortable managing their diabetes in school, whilst at the same time educating their care-giving network on the best way to deal with diabetes. This project has the potential to have a positive impact on communities in general.”
“Through the KiDS initiative, we have made an attempt to sensitize teachers, parents, students on diabetes and its related complications, many of which can be prevented through a healthy school environment,” said Dr Monika Arora, Director- Health Promotion, PHFI. “The project aims to promote joint working between parents and school administration to ensure better management of students with diabetes. The initiative also provides specific information on Type 2 diabetes prevention to all stakeholders, which would be a step forward in India’s commitment to achieving its NCD target for 2025 i.e. ‘Halt the rise in obesity and diabetes prevalence,” she said.
The KiDS project is a unique opportunity for Sanofi to collaborate on an important public health initiative with organisations such as IDF, PHFI and ISPAD, and to focus on key priorities in diabetes awareness. We want to make a real difference to the lives of young people in India,” shared N Rajaram, Country Head and General Manager, Pharmaceutical Operations, Sanofi India.
“We hope that the success of this initial phase of the project in 15 schools will pave the way for upscaling to other schools in Delhi and beyond.We are also advocating with the authorities for integration of a module on diabetes management and prevention, in the regular teachers trainings for government as well as private schools,” said Radhika Shrivastav, Deputy Director, HRIDAY.
EH News Bureau