Hi, I’m Eloise and I’m 18 years old. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 10 in quite a dramatic way after being blue lighted through the streets of New York! I’m not going to lie it’s not easy to live with, but I don’t let it stop me and try to live life to the full. I love dancing and have danced since I was 2, love to go to concerts and festivals, and going out with my friends. I love big rollercoasters and am hoping to do a skydive to raise some money!

I am so excited and honoured to be chosen to be part of this project, and to hear and see how the children in South Africa look after their diabetes. I am looked after very well by my nurse and the team at Basildon Hospital, with all my insulin, needles, test strips etc funded by the NHS. It’s a very different story in Cape Town and the children, many who are extremely poor and living in townships, have no access to any of the tech that is now on the market here including continuous monitoring and insulin pumps and even struggle to access the basic supplies like blood test strips and hypo treatments for low blood sugars.

Anything you can donate would be so much appreciated to help me reach my goal, and to help give these children a really great time at camp.

Please read on to find out more about this brilliant project I will be part of.

I am joining The East of England Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network on a trip of a lifetime. In March 2026 we are flying to Cape Town, South Africa for The Cape Town Diabetes Partnership Project 2026. We will be hosting a diabetes education and activity camp for children from Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. Tygerberg Hospital serves a large population, with many coming from the Cape Flats, an area of multiple townships where children and their families live in extreme poverty. The camp will provide us with the opportunity to meet peers with type 1 diabetes, learn about the each other's culture and what it means to be a young person with type 1 in these countries. The children and young people from Cape Town will be able to experience various activities they may not otherwise have the opportunity to try, and to learn more about their health condition. The young people from the East of England, supported by health care professionals from around the region will lead education sessions covering various aspects of diabetes management. For many of the participants from Tygerberg this may be the first time that they have been able to learn further about their diabetes since diagnosis. For many of our peers from South Africa this may be the only opportunity, outside of school term time to receive more than one meal per day.

We will also be taking part in a social impact project, working with Sindy who runs a girls football team in Lwandle another of Cape Town’s townships. Sindy and her project aims to alleviate poverty, prevent participants falling into drug addiction and becoming members of the various criminal gangs that abound in the townships.

The project aims to give all participants the opportunity to form relationships with others from both the East of England and peers from Cape Town with diabetes; the opportunity to travel and experience a new culture.

We will be fundraising not only to cover our flights, accommodation and food but also to pay for the diabetes camp. Unfortunately without our funding the camp would not be able to take place. We are also fundraising to support the continued work of Sindy and her team, and to take over some well-needed supplies and resources.

Thank you for your support

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.