No one living with diabetes should be made to feel shame or blame because of their condition. That is why South Africa is joining the global movement to shatter the myths surrounding diabetes.
Western Cape, South Africa (24 March 2026) – Four in five people living with diabetes carry the heavy weight of stigma. This isn’t just about hurt feelings. It can lead to social isolation, discrimination, and barriers to accessing quality medical care, which can take a toll on a person’s both physical and mental well-being.
South Africans are joining a powerful global movement to shatter these stereotypes. Next week, advocates, experts, and people from every region of the world will come together in India for the inaugural Global Summit to End Diabetes Stigma.
Presented by the Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes (ACBRD), this landmark gathering aims to build on a global movement to bring an end to diabetes stigma and discrimination.
The Summit will serve as a platform for sharing experiences, innovative and impactful solutions. It will unite voices from lived experience, advocacy, research, clinical practice, and industry across diverse backgrounds, cultures, and communities.
South African Diabetes Support Specialist, Lurina Fourie and her husband Steyn have both contributed to this important event, having submitted abstracts to be presented at the Summit.
Their work focuses on a range of relevant diabetes topics such as the emotional aspects of living with diabetes, the mental health dimension of diabetes, as well as acknowledging that while the disease is chronic, so is hope.
For Lunrina, seeing the growth in global diabetes awareness is meaningful and provides the opportunity to address stigma on a serious and collaborative international platform. South Africans being part of this important progress is twice as significant.
“In addition, we have both been invited as speakers and will be presenting in the session titled Harnessing the Power of Creative Art for Advocacy. We’ll also be taking part in the Summit’s talent showcase on Saturday evening. Steyn will be performing Hey Jude, and I’ll be joined by my sock puppet, Gluu, for a light-hearted stand-up comedy piece,” Lurina shares with us.
She will be attending as a global diabetes advocate, drawing on 26 years of lived experience with Type 1 diabetes.
“Steyn will be attending as what’s often referred to as “Type F” – a term used within the #dedoc° community to describe the family members and loved ones of people living with diabetes. After 22 years of marriage, he brings a powerful perspective of “loved experience,” complementing my lived experience.”
Other South Africans will also be attending and participating in the Summit – contributing to South Africa’s growing voice in the global diabetes advocacy space.
What makes this Summit particularly special, Lurina says, is its inclusivity. It creates space for people to contribute in their own unique ways, blending scientific insight with emotional connection, storytelling, creativity, and art.
Ending stigma, through such initiatives, is essential to creating more supportive healthcare systems and communities – because no one living with diabetes should be made to feel shame or blame because of their condition.
Sources: Lurina Fourie | EndDiabetesStigma.org
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