One of the two special projects that DG Trevor is focusing on in this Rotary year is the Prevention and Management of Diabetes. It is our hope that your club will see it possible to adopt this project. In the 2010-2011 Rotary year, our District was involved in such a project and more than 40 clubs participated. Since the late 1960's we have witnessed a transition from a disease pattern dominated by infectious diseases to one in which chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is out front. Diabetes is one of the leading NCDs. Diabetes is best defined as a group of disorders characterized by reduced secretion of or altered sensitivity to insulin with sustained elevation of blood glucose levels. Diabetes is associated with long term damage, dysfunction and failure of organs, especially eyes, kidneys, blood vessels of the heart, brain and limbs. The primary causes are dietary change and reduced activity.
Statistics show that in the Caribbean the number of deaths attributable to Diabetes continues to rise. In fact, the worse region in the world in percentage terms is North America and the Caribbean. All of out District 7030 countries and territories have a comparative prevalence higher than the average for the world of 6.4% with several Caribbean countries almost double that.
So what can you do as a Rotary Club? The objectives now are no different than the one proposed in 2010-2011:
- Increase public awareness in relation to diabetes by public relations and education campaigns
- Advocacy programme lobbying governments to pay more attention to diabetes prevention
- Promotion of a diabetes foot care programme
As an example of the work in our District: A Rotarian in T&T who is passionate about the prevention of diabetes – Zobi Ragbirsingh – has been elected to the International Diabetes Federation. She shared that in T&T now several Rotary clubs are involved in a project called Diabetes Education Awareness in Primary Schools (DEAPS).
The District Governor looks forward to hearing from all clubs what action you are or will be taking for this important project. This news with photos will be shared through the District Newsletter
PDG Tony Watkins
Chair - Ditrict 7030 Special Project Committee on the Prevention and Management of Diabetes