Meaningful May
Join our #BlueCircleWorkshops led by and for people living with diabetes, Sunday, 5PM IST - free and open to all!
Last month we had an interesting chat thread with tips on managing school & type 1 diabetes. With schools re-opening after the vacations, join our follow-up workshop with Sonali & Karthik, both parents to young people with T1 who will share tips and tricks for smoothly balancing school & T1D. A must-attend session for parents of school going children. Tune in on Facebook Live, click here to RSVP!
If you would like Blue Circle to organise an awareness session at your school for students & teachers, feel free to download our letter template, email the school/college and cc us on support@bluecircle.foundation
Apply to be an app beta tester!
We have been working behind the scenes, making a big revamp to our Blue Circle Diabetes mobile app, which is an app made ‘by’ and ‘for’ people with all types of diabetes. Come join the cool club of diverse Blue Circle Beta Testers. Read more about the Blue Circle Diabetes app:
See if you fit the eligibility criteria and apply now!
Have questions? Email: support@bluecircle.foundation
Want to be a beta tester? Apply now!
We have several upcoming events in the next few weeks, join us! Stay tuned for upcoming virtual and 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, Facebook and LinkedIn. Here's a quick low down on all that happened in May 2024 at Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation.
We had 11 online and offline events in May 2024 - of which we had physical meets in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Chandigarh and Jaipur- see the photos below!
Glimpses from our offline meets
Friends from our Pune at the coffee catch-up
Friends from our Mumbai coffee catch-up!
Looks like some fun was had at our Bengaluru coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Delhi coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Jaipur coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Chandigarh coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Chennai coffee catch-up!
Friends from our Hyderabad catch-up!
Symposium on Diabetes in Humanitarian Crises, Athens
Nupur Lalvani represented our Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation community in Athens, Greece at the IADA Symposium on Diabetes in Humanitarian Crises. Her poster on ‘Enhancing Diabetes Self-Management in Low and Middle-Income Countries through Low-Cost Technological Interventions: The Impact of the Blue Circle Diabetes App’ was also featured. Advocating for the essential role of Universal Health Coverage, we emphasized that everyone, everywhere deserves the right to diabetes care, including access to medication & support.
NCDs pre-meeting of the 77th World Health Assembly
The 77th World Health Assembly is currently being held in Geneva, Switzerland. Earlier this month there were a series of WHA77 pre-meetings for Member States, non-State actors in official relations in WHO governing bodies and the Secretariat in order to improve the involvement.
Nupur Lalvani made an intervention as part of a panel on the agenda item Item 11.2, Follow-up to the political declaration of the third high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. She spoke about the need for action on NCDs & the value of involving and engaging people with lived experience and civil society in policy-making.
#BlueCircleWorkshops (online)
Did you know that since the onset of COVID-19, every Sunday we've consistently hosted over 200 FREE, online diabetes workshops by and for people living with all types of diabetes as part of our commitment to accessible health education? Each workshop is led by experts who are passionate about making a meaningful difference. Check out our YouTube playlist to see some of these workshops.
Join in, have fun and learn new things. Sign up as a member and follow our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn to know of upcoming workshops. Be a part of our awesome Facebook community too!
RSVP & tune in on Facebook for the live workshops (if you miss a workshop, catch up later with recordings on YouTube or Facebook). Let's learn, grow, and navigate together.
Building Muscle with Diabetes: Workshop
Join fitness trainer Mahesh and gym enthusiast Jai, both living with type 1 diabetes, as they guide you through muscle building challenges and strategies specific to those with diabetes.
Want to dive into more workshops on exercise with diabetes? See our #BlueCircleWorkshops exercise playlist on YouTube. Also, read our exercise related blogs.
#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)
School + Type 1 Diabetes: FB chat thread
We hosted a special discussion useful for parents of children with type 1 diabetes on school + T1D on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India on how to manage, what to pack for meals, emergency planning, hypos, hypers, taking insulin and testing sugars at school etc. Click here to read and participate in the discussion.
#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!
Meethi Baatein
Dive into the 37th episode of our series, Meethi Baatein, as we spotlight and celebrate the top contributors of our vibrant Facebook community. This time, join Rohan, who lives with type 1 diabetes as he chats with top contributor Syed, who is insulin dependent & has type 2 diabetes. Their shared experiences, insights, and stories promise to resonate with many. See the recording here.
Insulin Pump Basics: Workshop
Join Neeraj & Gilmerio, both insulin pump users living with type 1 diabetes in this workshop on the basics of insulin pumps- what they are, what they are not, who are they for, what they look like & more. A must-watch session for people looking to understand more about insulin pumps, from scratch.
Want to dive into more workshops on diabetes technology? See our #BlueCircleWorkshops technology playlist on YouTube. Want a deep dive? Read our tech blogs.
#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)
Buddy Project Helpline turns 4 🎁🎂🎉
Happy Birthday to our Buddy Project Helpline and a big thank you to our buddies, past & present who have volunteered on the helpline 💙
The Buddy Project Helpline started during Covid19 and continues to be a diabetes & mental health support system, free of cost and open to anyone with any type of diabetes & their caregivers.
🆘Read more about the helpline here
🆘 Download on Android here
🆘 Download on iOS here
🆘Read about the Blue Circle Diabetes app here
Help us keep our community safe 🥹💪🏼
Join our mission to keep our Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation and Diabetes Support Network - India community safe! 🛡️ Nupur Lalvani and Snehal Nandagawli are here with a special message: Help us protect our safe space from spammers, sellers & troublemakers. Let’s work together to maintain a supportive, informative, and spam-free environment for everyone. Watch the video to find out how you can contribute to a safer community 🩵🤝
#BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar 2024
Announcement for the Blue Circle Diabetes 2024 calendar
We are thrilled to unveil our 5th edition of the #BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar for 2024! Featuring 12 incredible individuals with various types of diabetes, this calendar is a daily reminder that a diagnosis didn't end the journey & with grit and determination we will triumph together!
Our #BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar is making headlines in the Indian Express newspaper! Featuring 12 inspiring people with various types of diabetes, it's a celebration of resilience and strength. Read our feature here.
Support us by purchasing calendars, magnets & stickers from the Blue Circle Store: https://www.bluecircle.foundation/store
Snapshot of the newspaper article
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 issued by the NCPCR - National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
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.
Trained volunteer buddies with lived experience of different types of diabetes
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)
Why should you attend our meet-ups?
Fair question! Check out this post to know why-
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.
Marriage and Diabetes
Blue Circle Store- Relaunched!
Check out the adorable diabetes merchandise from the Blue Circle Store and order them now!
Cool new merch- check it out!
#FlipTheCalendar May 2024
Sound on and time to #FlipTheCalendar! The #BlueCircleDiabetesCalendar is a fun calendar featuring people living with all types of diabetes. Featuring actor and holistic bio hacker Megha who also lives with type 1 diabetes.
Order calendars & adorable diabetes merchandise:
https://www.bluecircle.foundation/store
Blue Circle 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.
Help us build the app better for you!
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.
#SugarDetective
Be a #SugarDetective! Come be part of our new campaign! Help spread awareness by sharing hidden sugars in packaged foods. Like Sherlock Holmes said, "you see, but you do not observe". Let's observe what's in our food and share!
#SugarDetective campaign
Put up posts on your social media platforms and use the hashtag #SugarDetective & #BlueCircleDiabetesFoundation (also tag us!) You can also share the post on our Facebook community, Diabetes Support Network - India. Once a week, we'll feature a randomly selected Sugar Detective across our platforms. Hurry!
Sugar detectives from our community!
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, Twitter and LinkedIn too! Use the Blue Circle Diabetes app to track your vitals 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