In the section, ‘Dedication’, we present organizations that dedicate themselves to children and adolescents with diabetes. In this issue of Diabetes-Parents-Journal, we would like to introduce you to two initiatives.

“If you want progress, you need to contribute something yourself,” is the answer you will get from Dr Ralph Ziegler to the question as to why he is involved in the Diabetic Child Endowment Fund www.das-zuckerkranke-kind.de. It is most probably on this basis that the volunteers give their service to the benefit of paediatric diabetology, whether it be the Diabetic Child Endowment Fund, or the ‘Dianiño’ initiative www.stiftung-dianino.de, or the internet project www.diabetes-kids.de, the Diabetic Children and Adolescents Association, or any other organization. All have the same aim: to make life easier for children and adolescents with diabetes, either in everyday life, or through research that may eventually lead to a cure for type 1 diabetes. In the case of the Diabetic Child Endowment Fund, Ralph Ziegler, as well as all the others that support it, want to help the advancement of basic research. Scientists that are carrying out research in this area can apply for funding from this particular endowment. Since its establishment in 1994, this foundation has financed many research projects focusing on finding measures to prevent, treat, and cure diabetes in children.    

Much achieved, much to be done
“Research leads to cures. We support research.” This quote is taken directly from the endowment’s internet site, on which you can find out about which research projects have already been supported by this fund. The Diabetic Child Endowment Fund supports some five to ten projects a year with sums of between EUR 5 000 and 10 000, and sometimes even more. All applications for funds are examined by two experts, and the final word as to which projects will be supported or not rests by the members of the endowment curatory which, apart from the president, Dr Ralph Ziegler, consists of the Editor-in-Chief of Diabetes-Parents-Journal, Prof. Thomas Danne, and Prof. Sigurd Lenzen, both diabetologists and basic researchers from Hannover. Again and again, this endowment fund fills in the gaps left by the constant governmental cuts in research funding. According to Ziegler, the Diabetic Child Endowment Fund supports only “high-level research, that will directly affect children and adolescents with diabetes now, or in the following generation.” Maybe the very next research project will be the breakthrough we all hope for. Donations to assist in financing the next projects are very welcome. Also of great assistance is to spread the word about the foundation. The foundation already has three strong partners - the Aventis Foundation, Roche Diagnostics, and the German Diabetes Fund.     

Dianiño: An initiative with a difference
Ingrid Pfaff and Nicole Bungart are the founders of the Dianiño – A Future for Children with Diabetes initiative, whose motto is ‘by parents, for parents’. Nicole Bungart has a teenage diabetic daughter, and Ingrid Pfaff an adult son with diabetes since childhood. Both women aim to help children and adolescents with diabetes and their families in daily matters and to assist in the burden of care. It requires a lot of creativity to achieve these goals. One of their ideas is the ‘diabetes nanny’. A diabetes nanny knows about diabetes because she is, for instance, a registered paediatric nurse, a diabetes educator, or an experienced mother of a diabetic child. She assists families in which at least one child has diabetes. If there are crises in a particular family, for example, after diagnosis, or a divorce process, etc, the treating physician or diabetes consultant can get in touch with Dianiño. Since this is the only way through which diabetes nannies can be obtained, it is of great importance to the founders to increase awareness of the initiative in clinics and diabetes centres. When a nanny is selected, she visists the family during the time needed and assists in helping the diabetic child (always according the treating physician’s instructions), and speaks with the kindergarten teacher or school teacher about the situation. Meanwhile, there are 260 diabetes nannies in Germany.
Apart from providing diabetes nannies, Dianiño supports diabetes courses for children and their parents and gives financial assistance to the equipping of diabetes centres.
When a child needs to be hospitalized, Dianiño can provide someone to speak to the employers and clinicains so that the parents can remain with their children.
In case of emergencies, Dianiño also has a telephone hotline where experts in diabetology, psychology and legal matters answer queries to do with coping with daily management. It is not the purpose of the hotline to answer medically specific questions. The telephone number of the hotline is 0180/2000193. 

Who else is out there?
There are more initiatives that are dedicated to helping children and adolescents with diabetes, such as the internet site www.diabetes-kids.de, a virtual self-help forum for children with diabetes and their parents, which will be presented in the next issue of Diabetes-Parents-Journal.

Nicole Finkenauer-Ganz

The Diabetic Child Endowment Fund

Further information and application forms to be downloaded can be found on www.zuckerkrankes-kind.de
Please send all applications to: Dr. Ralph Ziegler, Mondstraße 148, 48155 Münster
Donations: Stiftung „Das zuckerkranke Kind„, Konto-Nr. 55 111, Sparkasse Paderborn, BLZ 472 501 01. Receipts will be distributed.

Dianiño

Further information can be found on www.dianino.de or write to

Ingrid Pfaff
Obere St. Leonhardstraße 32
88662 Überlingen
E-mail: info(at)dianino(dot)de

Donations to: Stiftung „Dianiño„,
Volksbank Friedrichshafen,
Konto-Nr. 9009000,
BLZ 65190110

Dianiño hotline : 0180/2 00 01 93

What is an endowment?
The funds that are set aside to form an endowment are used to sponsor certain projects. In most cases, it is the profits from the collected funds that are used for sponsoring purposes. An endowment has no official members. It is usually administered by a curatory. 

More about endowment funds in Germany 
- There are over 15 000 endowment funds in Germany
- 1134 new endowment funds were established in 2007
- Endowment funds such as those in Liechtenstein are not possible according to German law.
(Source: Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen)