Sweet Life fundraising

There are three things that Sweet Life is fundraising for: TEEL, TIME and the Healthy Food Guide. Here’s what they are – and why they matter.

Diabetes education

Diabetes is the number one killer of women in South Africa… But it’s not a lethal condition. We believe a big part of the solution lies in empowering people with diabetes to make the right choices when it comes to their health.

That’s why we created three foundational diabetes education building blocks.

1. TEEL outlines the basics of managing diabetes (find out more here). It’s available in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Setswana.
2. TIME focuses specifically on what else is needed for Type 1 diabetes (find out more here). It’s also available in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa and Setswana. Both TEEL and TIME are currently being tested at primary, secondary and tertiary diabetes clinics nationwide.
3. The Healthy Food Guide – assessed by the National Department of Health and top diabetes experts, tested in public clinics nationwide – is fully illustrated and easy to understand. This guide isn’t just for diabetes, but for high blood pressure, cholesterol and weight loss.

Printed copies direct to those who need them

We send printed copies of these three resources directly to public clinic dieticians, doctors and hospitals nationwide . Anyone who asks for them can be added to our database, and we print and courier them directly to those who need them.

Why? Because we know that it helps. We regularly ask for feedback, and have adjusted the materials to match the feedback. We have submitted the TEEL and TIME leaflets to the National Department of Health to be included as part of their educational materials. Unfortunately, we can’t do the same for the Healthy Food Guide because it doesn’t follow the SA Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. (These guidelines suggest making starchy foods the basis of most meals, which does not work for diabetes.)

We’re looking forward to a South Africa of healthy individuals, where diabetes – and healthy eating – is understood by the masses. We need your help to get there!

What to read next?

Diabetes basics leaflet in public clinics: One of the projects we’ve been working on is our diabetes basics leaflet for public clinics – our TEEL leaflet. Here’s how we developed it.

Type 1 leaflet in public clinics: Alongside the diabetes basics leaflet we developed, we also created a leaflet specifically for those living with Type 1 diabetes.

Healthy Food Guide distribution: We created this free Healthy Food Guide to help people with diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol make healthier choices. It’s also useful if you want to lose weight