About Us

Sweet Life empowers South Africans with diabetes through education and community by giving them the information they need to live healthier lives.

The goal? To reduce the health burden on the South African public health system and the unnecessary mortality rate of diabetes in our country.

We are a registered NPO/PBO who believes that lived experience needs to be at the core of diabetes education, so that it’s easy to understand and implement behaviour change.

Our mission is to empower people with diabetes on their journey to a healthy, happy life – by providing answers to all their diabetes questions, and a community to support and share their experiences.

Our mission is to empower people with diabetes on their journey to a healthy, happy life – by providing answers to all their diabetes questions, and a community to support and share their experiences.

Impact

Diabetes is the number one killer of South Africans, and yet there’s no national diabetes education programme. We believe the answer lies in empowering individuals with diabetes. Our part of the solution is creating education in 5 different languages that is easy to understand, and implement, and rooted in lived experience.

Here’s how we’re doing that.

Evidence based impact

Research shows that diabetes self-management education is an essential part of tackling the diabetes crisis. 49% of costs for Type 2 diabetes are due to complications, which are preventable given the right education and care. The diabetes education currently available depends on where you live: it’s a postcode lottery.
That’s where we come in.

Direct access to over 50,000 South Africans with Diabetes.
Distributed over 150,000 printed Healthy Food Guides to underserved communities in one year: extremely positive feedback and requests for more copies.
Developed South Africa’s first isiZulu and English WhatsApp diabetes education chatbot with input from South Africans with diabetes.
Conducted a 9 province in-person feedback drive to assess the chatbot and determine what format education should be in.
Reach over 157,000 people in annual diabetes awareness and stigma campaigns.
Empowered 100 individuals around South Africa to hold their own events during National Diabetes Month: over 2,000 people given trusted diabetes educational materials.

Testimonials

“Sweet Life plays an essential role in diabetes education and advocacy, translating lived experience and evidence into accessible, meaningful support for people with diabetes, empowering the individual and strengthening the community – it is the trusted voice for people living with diabetes.”

“Sweet Life is a trusted and impactful platform that empowers people with diabetes through education, advocacy, and an authentic sense of community.”

“Sweet Life has played a huge role in bringing the South African diabetes community together, building the largest online space where people living with diabetes feel connected, supported, and empowered through education.”

“Sweet Life combines outstanding diabetes and NCD expertise with genuine engagement of real users. Collaborating with Bridget and Shiara has been a joy as we move forward to realise a meaningful impact together this year.”

“Sweet Life plays a valuable role in the diabetes education and community space, backed by lived experience and connected to so many South Africans living with diabetes."

"Sweet Life is a trusted, people-centred partner that South Africa needs to help halt and ultimately reverse the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), especially diabetes. By informing, inspiring and connecting people with diabetes, Sweet Life strengthens the voices of people with lived experience and helps turn knowledge into daily self-care and demand for better services. This aligns strongly with South Africa’s National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2022–2027.”

“Through funding support to Sweet Life as part of the T1D Community Fund, we have been impressed by their engagement over the three-year grant period: contributing recommendations to improve the lives of people living with Type 1 diabetes in low-resource settings.”

“Sweet Life is an incredible organization making a meaningful impact in the South African diabetes space. The DCB values the collaboration with Sweet Life and has witnessed their dedication to empowering communities and driving positive change.”

Empowering South Africans with diabetes through education

Help us solve one of the biggest causes of mortality in South Africa by giving South Africans with diabetes exactly the diabetes education they need.

In 2026, our education projects include:

A new and improved Sweet Life Chatbot, our WhatsApp diabetes education chatbot.
Diabetes education in schools: ensuring that all South African children in Grade 5 get a diabetes education session (with a diabetes advocate), including a printed Healthy Food Guide and TEEL leaflet to take home.
A Type 1 diabetes guidebook with all the best expert advice at the right health literacy level (and in the right language). To send to children with Type 1 diabetes nationwide, particularly in underserved areas.
A diabetes and mental health book to distill the most important mental health advice from diabetes psychologists for those without access.
Facebook Lives with top diabetes experts to bring the most important diabetes education to our community.

Community projects for 2026

As South Africa’s largest online diabetes community, we run two big awareness campaigns each year:

#DiabetesLooksLikeMe diabetes stigma campaign: May 14th

Diabetes stigma is not just a mental health issue. Half of all South Africans with diabetes are undiagnosed, and one of the reasons for that is the stigma surrounding diabetes. Each year on May 14th we run a nationwide diabetes stigma campaign to combat this: #DiabetesLooksLikeMe

#WearBlueforDiabetes awareness campaign: November 14th

Every November, we run South Africa’s largest diabetes awareness campaign: #WearBlueforDiabetes. This year, we sent 100 Diabetes DIY Event Boxes around the country, empowering 100 diabetes champions to hold events in their own communities. Find out all about #WearBlueforDiabetes & Change a Life.

Want to get involved? Please contact us!

Bridget McNulty

CEO and Co-founder of Sweet Life, living with Type 1 diabetes

Bridget McNulty is an internationally published author and one of South Africa’s most trusted diabetes voices. She spends her days creatively engaging with diabetes. Bridget was awarded a Top 5 SA Women Entrepreneur award in 2024, for her work with Sweet Life, and has chaired and spoken on panels for the IDF, WHO Global Diabetes Summit and NCD Alliance Forum 2025.

Shiara Pillay

Project Manager at Sweet Life, living with Type 1 diabetes

Shiara Pillay holds her honours degree in Development Studies, along with a deep love for tangible sustainable development. Her passion lies in incorporating her knowledge and experiences into her offerings as an active citizen and lifelong learner. Living with Type 1 diabetes, she has been an active member of the diabetes community for well over a decade.

Lynette Ntuli

Founder and CEO of Innate Investment Solutions

Lynette Ntuli is the Founder and CEO of Innate Investment Solutions. She has held executive leadership positions in diverse sectors, and sits on the boards of various listed and unlisted organisations as a non-executive director. Lynette is passionate about sustainability, people-centered governance and socio-economic development.

Dr. Amanda Saunders

Doctor specialising in Family Medicine

Dr. Amanda Saunders is a public clinic doctor with an MBChB (UKZN), a Diploma in Anaesthesia and presently completing a specialisation in Family Medicine at UCT. She has a deep passion for our public healthcare system, and an interest in how to improve healthcare in South Africa, following exposure to other healthcare systems.

Sebastian Thompson

Co-founder of Gravity Ideas and Lake Innovation

Sebastian Thompson is a behavioural design practitioner and the co-founder of two of South Africa’s most respected behavioural science companies. Sebastian is working to make the world a better place by designing for the mind, and curious about how this can be applied to diabetes.

Dr Ankia Coetzee

Specialist Physician and Endocrinologist

Dr. Ankia Coetzee is a Consultant Physician and Subspecialist Endocrinologist affiliated with Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. A former president of SEMDSA, she is widely recognized for her leadership in endocrinology.

Claire Barnardo

Case Writing Centre Manager at UCT Graduate School of Business

Claire Barnardo is the Case Writing Centre Manager at the UCT Graduate School of Business, and one of the original founding members of Sweet Life. Prior to cases, Claire was an experienced print editor and journalist. She is passionate about writing and championing African and emerging market business cases.

Buyelwa Majikela-Dlangamandla

Buyelwa Majikela-Dlangamandla is a professional nurse who obtained a Master’s Degree in Nursing Science at University of Cape Town (UCT). She is a co-facilitator for the Diabetes short course and advanced courses at Groote Schuur Hospital, with more than 20years experience in diabetes.