Dear Friend of the Ukrainian Diabetes Project,

We would like to take just a few minutes out of your day to report all of this year’s activities and accomplishments, which have resulted from your on-going support. It is with great satisfaction that we continued to expand and increase our diabetes programs.

Through our continued collaboration with the Diabetes Charity Fund of Kiyiv, we successfully provided 100 children with blood glucose meters and strips along with a blood glucose logbook, translated into Ukrainian, for checking and tracking blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, the Diabetes Charity Fund was unable to secure a camp site due to political changes in Ukraine. However, the children were still able to receive our supplies.

Fifty copies of Dr. Luther Travis’s diabetes manual, An Instructional Aid on Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, were provided to the diabetic children in a new region of Ukraine, Donetsk.

Two Ukrainian teens were sponsored by UDP in a work experience exchange at the Diabetic Youth Foundation Bearskin Meadow camp. They worked from June-August as camp staff members to increase their knowledge of diabetes management and improve their English skills. They will now spend next summer working at the diabetes camp in Ukraine.

As in the past, we continued our collaborative efforts with Santa Rosa West Rotary Club by meeting with the President of the Rotary in Kiyiv. The Kiyiv Rotary will be our key resource in contacting other Rotary clubs in Ukraine. They will help select and sponsor 2 diabetic children from their region to participate at camp next summer. They have also agreed to help spearhead our efforts to join a diabetes camp in Crimea. Crimea was chosen as the next camp site because it is the best location in Ukraine for recreation. The Crimea camp is interested in setting up an international diabetes camp in partnership with UDP and Rotary.

Finally, with a deepened commitment to continue our efforts, the UDP has applied for non-profit status independent of the Diabetic Youth. We expect to be operating on our own by January 2005.

None of this would be possible without you. We want you to know just how much we appreciate your continuing support for our effort. We hope and pray that we can continue to count on your partnership in this important effort to provide services to the diabetic children in Ukraine.