Overcoming Diabetes Stigma Through Community Education
Lucy Johnbosco uses an upbeat approach in raising awareness of diabetes in her hometown of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. A member of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Steering Committee, Johnbosco is also a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate. (Video image: Courtesy of Health Action International)
A new video featuring Lucy Johnbosco—a member of the NCDI Poverty Network’s Steering Committee and a Voices for PEN-Plus advocate—offers firsthand perspectives of what it takes to change perceptions of diabetes in places where many people have limited understanding of the condition.
Health Action International released the 10-minute video, Beyond Access to Insulin: A Story of Two Approaches to Care, with a November 29 premiere on YouTube. The documentary-style piece takes viewers to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to profile people who are raising diabetes awareness in their communities. The Tanzania segment features Johnbosco, who talks about living with type 1 diabetes in a community where awareness is so limited that people often are amazed that she is even alive.
“If I tell someone I have diabetes type 1, [they often say], ‘And you’re still here? You’re still living this life?’” she tells the camera, smiling while mimicking the incredulous expressions she often sees.
“Most of my local community has no awareness about diabetes at all. At all.”
Fortunately, Johnbosco is familiar with changing perceptions. The founder of Diabetes Consciousness for Community, she is a passionate educator and advocate for better diabetes treatment and resources, especially in rural areas.
“You know, having diabetes is so hard,” Johnbosco says in the video. “The challenge is accessibility and affordability of insulin.”
As Johnbosco shares the story of receiving her diagnosis at age 10 and becoming a diabetes educator as an adult, the footage shows her navigating tasks such as testing her blood sugar, injecting insulin, and leading fun, informative lessons for local schoolchildren.
“If you have the right information about diabetes, you can live with it,” she says, before noting also the importance of knowing about type 2 diabetes. “And if you don’t have it, you know how to prevent it.”
Lucy Johnbosco offers a presentation on diabetes to schoolchildren in Dar es Salaam.