Monday, October 21, 2013

A Great Public Health Organization to Check Out!

Hey everyone!

So my post is also kind of a shameless plug. Basically I wanted to share about a nonprofit that reminds me a lot of GlobeMed! It is called AYUDA, which stands for American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad. I volunteered with them for the past two years and it is what got me interested in public health! Basically, AYUDA works with partner organizations in Latin America to create sustainable and educational Type 1 Diabetes programs for kids. My twin sister has Type 1 Diabetes so that is how I became interested, but the more I learned about public health in general as well, the more passionate I became. 

The three guidelines/beliefs I think are all really amazing and parallel GlobeMed's mission:

1. A lack of education is as dangerous as a lack of insulin. AYUDA was founded in reaction to seeing children with diabetes who had access to insulin and medical treatment, but still suffered complications and early death because they did know how to manage their condition. AYUDA programs address the severe lack of education by implementing our innovative youth-to-youth education model.

2. Youth can serve as powerful agents of change. Youth empowerment is the fundamental principle for AYUDA, and is also exemplified by the members on the AYUDA team. Our educational and youth leadership programs increase interaction among youth, develop awareness of their ability to impact change in their communities, and provide them with the tools and skills to do so.


3. Understanding is just as important as doing. AYUDA partners with local communities and organizations in order to better understand their issues and to help create innovative solutions. Learning and understanding cultural context is critical to developing solutions prior to taking action.



Basically, education, youth empowerment, and cultural understanding are at the heart of the organization! 

Here's a video of AYUDA and their partner organization in the Dominucan Republic, Aprendiendo a Vivir. This video will automatically make you happy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFDILWv4BKA

Shameless plug time: AYUDA is accepting applications for volunteers! Below is the link to their website if you want to find out more, but also feel free to ask me questions!

http://volunteers.ayudainc.net/site/PageNavigator/homepage.html

Thanks!
Madeline

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