The Sweet Life Chatbot

In November 2024, Sweet Life officially launched our WhatsApp diabetes education chatbot. Find out more here!

Free diabetes education – for all South Africans – on WhatsApp

Expert diabetes and healthy living advice that’s easy to understand, now available on WhatsApp.

We all know the stats: diabetes is the number one killer of South Africans – despite not being a lethal condition! There is no national diabetes education programme, which means that people don’t understand their condition: they are dying unnecessarily.

A diabetes education solution

We believe a WhatsApp diabetes education chatbot is part of the solution. The Sweet Life Chatbot offers expert diabetes and healthy living advice that’s easy to understand, right in the palm of your hand. Whether you’re just diagnosed with diabetes, want to understand what diabetes is, or simply want some healthy eating, exercise and mental health tips, you’ll find it on the Sweet Life Chatbot.

Friendly advice – in English and isiZulu – backed by experts, from South Africa’s largest online diabetes community.

Your diabetes questions, answered

The Sweet Life Chatbot offers info on the following:

Just diagnosed
What is diabetes?
What should I eat?
How can I get active?
What about mental health?
What are my diabetes rights?

All the information is simple and easy to understand, and you can choose between English and isiZulu throughout – with more languages coming soon!

“We know that the only way to turn the diabetes situation in South Africa around is by empowering individuals. We developed this first version to do just that: offer the right information to the right person, exactly when they need it.”
Bridget McNulty, CEO and Co-founder of Sweet Life

What does the Sweet Life Chatbot offer?

Quizzes and rewards for each section
Photos to illustrate each idea – particularly around food and portion sizes
Helpful advice to save and share

The beauty of WhatsApp is that you can download the information when you have access to the internet, and still be able to see it later. So you can save all the information you need to manage your diabetes on your phone, for whenever you need it.

See the Sweet Life Chatbot in action

Following the launch of the Sweet Life Chatbot, project manager Shiara Pillay travelled to all 9 provinces of South Africa to test out the chatbot in person. She met with people living with diabetes in community spaces and support groups, as well as with healthcare workers who wanted to learn more about diabetes, and found out what worked and what didn’t work.

We’re currently developing a new and improved chatbot.

In the meantime, check out these videos to see how it works: