Meandering in March
Join our #BlueCircleWorkshops led by and for people living with diabetes, every Sunday, 5PM IST - free and open to all! This Sunday 4 people living with different types of diabetes will talk about their experiences doing intermittent fasting. RSVP here to tune into their Facebook Live.
We have 6 (and counting) upcoming events in the next few weeks, join us! Stay tuned for upcoming physical events in your cities & don't miss the chance to meet other friends & families with diabetes! Any questions? Ask away on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India and head to the 'Events' section on the group to RSVP for events you want to share or attend!
We share all important information and updates on our social media handles, so ensure you join our Facebook community , follow us on Instagram , Twitter , YouTube and Facebook. Here's a quick low down on all that happened in March 2023 at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had 15 online and offline events in March 2023 - of which we had 10 physical meets in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Delhi, 2 events in Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore & Chandigarh - see the photos below!
Glimpses from our offline meets
Our coffee catch-up Jaipur was definitely fun!
We had an enjoyable coffee catch-up and made some art with friends in Bengaluru!
Our Pune friends clearly had a good time at the #IDSRun2023 jointly organised by Chellaram Hospital and Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation as part of the 7th International Diabetes Summit. View the full album here. Stay tuned to our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India for updates in all cities.
Photos from the coffee catch-up in Coimbatore!
Photos from the coffee catch-up in Mumbai!
Our Delhi friends having fun at the art workshop led by Rohan. Stay tuned for the next one!
All smiles at our Ahmedabad coffee catch-up!
#BlueCircleWorkshops (online)
Blue Circle Workshops are online weekend workshops, led by people living with various types of diabetes. By the people and for the people with diabetes! These workshops are free and open for all, even non diabetics. We started these workshops in 2020 and have conducted over 200 educational, informative & fun workshops yet. Join in, have fun and learn new things. Sign up as a member and follow our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube to know of upcoming workshops. Be a part of our awesome Facebook community too!
Diabetes Art Workshop
Super fun diabetes art workshop led by our in-house artists, Sanskruti and Rohan. #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes by and for people living with various types of diabetes.
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
All about glucometers: FB chat thread
This was a Facebook chat thread on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India. Our community members talked about glucometers, which ones they use and why, what affordable options are available etc. Jump into the thread here.
If you would like a deep dive into diabetes technology, including CGMs, glucometers etc, read the articles here.
DIY Looping Workshop
Tech boys Ritam and Rohan hosted this workshop on an introduction to DIY looping (for those on insulin pumps). Do check out this workshop if you are a beginner or want to explore looping in the future. #BlueCircleWorkshops are free, online workshops on diabetes by and for people living with various types of diabetes. Join us every Sunday at 5PM India time!
Click the post below to view the workshop video on Facebook (you can also view on YouTube here) -
Meethi Baatein
23rd Facebook Live of our series called Meethi Baatein to celebrate top contributors of our community on Facebook. Snehal was in conversation with Nishtha, who lives with LADA or type 1.5 diabetes, see the video here.
Diabetes Awareness Programs
In the week of women's day, the ladies at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation decided to reach out to the marginalized community of women prisoners. Everyone has the right to health. We are aware that the social stigma attached to women inmates is severe & welfare support systems are often corroded. We conducted a diabetes awareness program and free blood glucose screening for about 200 women inmates and staff at the Yerwada Jail in Pune, India through our Project Gaia initiative where we aim to create a safe space for women with diabetes. About 20% of the women tested had high sugars, some were previously diagnosed and for some it was a revelation. Unsurprisingly there are quite a few inmates living with diabetes, we even met some on insulin! We also had a discussion on nutrition with not only the inmates but also the medical officers and staff & learned that pregnant and lactating women are provided special diets. We were glad to have this opportunity to serve a section of society that often gets ignored.
If you'd like to organise such a session at your school/college/office (or anywhere), let us know on support@bluecircle.foundation
International Diabetes Summit
We attended the 7th International Diabetes Summit, Pune, where Ashlesha, Sanskruti and Nupur represented Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation & the voices of people living with all types of diabetes.
#LowCarbBreakfast #RecipeContest
Click the post below to read all about our latest low carb breakfast recipe contest. All the rules are on the post. What are you waiting for? Grab those ingredients and stand a chance to win amazing gift hampers by Ador, which is a low carb brand. Happy cooking and sharing!
Success Stories
Found the community helpful, have a success story to share? E-mail us on support@bluecircle.foundation and we'll be happy to feature you!
Letter for Schools
Whether newly diagnosed or not, it's an anxious time for parents of kids with type 1 diabetes. Please feel free to click this post on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network India which will take you to a downloadable and editable letter for schools. Edit it with your child's specific details and share a signed copies with the child's school principal, teachers, etc.
You are welcome to email us on support@bluecircle.foundation if you face any issues or you would like us to organise a diabetes awareness programme at your school or organisations.
See the post below for an important announcement regarding schools and universities. Click the post below, go to the comments section to read or download each circular.
Buddy Project Helpline
The Buddy Project Helpline started during Covid19 and continues to be a diabetes & mental health support system & helpline, free of cost and open to anyone with any type of diabetes & their caregivers.
Read more about the helpline & to use the helpline, download the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app on Android or iOS. Also read about the Blue Circle Diabetes app and all its features here.
The Buddy Project Helpline is our mobile app based psychosocial helpline for diabetes and mental health. Trained volunteers living with diabetes (type 1, type 2 & caregivers), speaking 7 different languages are here to listen to you without judgements. If you feel lost, depressed, anxious, panicky, suicidal or generally upset, please schedule a call with us. These are tough times but remember you are NOT alone, your community stands with you.
How to call the Buddy Project helpline
Image: screenshot of how to navigate the Buddy Project helpline on the app
Open the Blue Circle Diabetes app > Buddy Project > Schedule tab > pick a buddy of your choice > Schedule a call (once you schedule you'll see it under the 'Meetings' tab > 10 minutes prior to the call, you'll receive an app notification/reminder > To join the call, open the app, go to Buddy Project & under the 'Meetings' tab, press the 'Join' button (video is off by default, can switch on as per preference)
Diabetes Humour
Life with any type of diabetes is not easy. Here's a little diabetes humour to brighten up your day. Click the posts below & like, share & comment!
Looking for a partner? Marriage & Diabetes
We understand that a lot of people with diabetes face tremendous difficulties in finding the right partner and getting married. We have received a lot of requests over the years to facilitate a platform to this end. Here's our small effort in that direction. If you'd like to find a partner, or are a parent who would like to introduce their child looking to get married, please introduce yourself on our private Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India.
Blue Circle Store- Relaunched!
Check out the adorable diabetes merchandise from the Blue Circle Store and order them now!
Blogs
Read our blog here. We write about everything from recipes to people's stories, technology and everything diabetes!
Donate
India's first app, made by diabetics & for diabetics. If you have found the app helpful & would like to help, consider making a small donation of Rs 99 per month: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/donate
Download the Blue Circle Diabetes app on Android and iOS. Click here to read about the app & its features.
Thank you to our wonderful community for helping us making the app better for you! We look forward to your generosity to help us rewrite the app ground up! Use the 'New Feature Idea' button on the app to tell us what features may make the app better.
#CommunityCares
To participate in our social media campaigns, share your photo (with some supporting text) on the topic with us. Upload through the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app and we'll feature you!
To participate in our #CommunityCares campaign, like Shaurya who is playing the dhol, submit your photo/video through the Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app & we'll share it!
Connect with us and participate!
Join our award winning Facebook community, like and follow our page, subscribe to our YouTube channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter too! If you would like to share and contribute content upload it to the Blue Circle Diabetes app and don't forget to check out our website and Buddy Project helpline too!
SUPPORT BLUE CIRCLE DIABETES FOUNDATION
We need your help and support to continue to grow, expand and touch the lives of countless people in the diabetes community. Every little bit helps us in sustaining this endeavour. Our NGO is registered under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, India.
Click here to donate
