Hi, my name is Lola, I’m 15 years old and been a Type1 diabetic since I was 7. So that means for half of my life I have had to basically keep myself alive on a daily basis, 24/7 with no time off for good behaviour 🤭. I live my life to the full, never let it stand in the way, I do musical theatre and perform on stage, I love going to shows and music concerts, I love holidays and fairgrounds, I love going out with my friends.

Although NOT lucky to have diabetes itself I am very lucky to have a fantastic medical support team around me, Consultants, Nurses, Dieticians, even a Physcologist, should I ever need any help. That’s why I am so grateful to have been chosen to be part of this fantastic project, as the children we will be with on the diabetes education and activity camp in South Africa have very different stories to tell regarding their care… they have no Continuous Glucose Monitors to show what their blood sugars are, they have no Insulin Pumps to help them administer their insulin easily and help keep their blood sugars in safer ranges, they have to dig holes in the ground to keep their insulin cool! Completely different life’s but the same chronic autoimmune disease.

Please read on to find out about this brilliant project that I will part of 💙

Lola is 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, Lola

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