Who We Are @ Insulin For Life

Diabetes is a global problem. Three quarters of people with diabetes live in low and middle income countries.

For this reason, Insulin for Life Global (IFL) contributes to the international efforts to try to improve the availability of insulin to the 50% of people in developing countries who cannot afford or access Insulin and diabetes supplies. Yet, around the world, people are discarding perfectly good, unexpired, unopened and unused insulin in immense quantities. There are several reasons for this; changing insulin brands, change of therapy and surplus insulin after gestational diabetes. IFL Global focuses its efforts on raising awareness to help solve these two problems: avoidable death and usable waste. A simple solution with life-changing results. IFL Global also fundraises to support transport costs; the biggest barrier to keeping this operation going.

Insulin for Life country affiliates collect in-date and unneeded insulin and other diabetes supplies, and ships them to developing countries. They are then distributed, free of charge to those who require them. Through Insulin for Life, these supplies that would have once gone to waste are instead used to save thousands of lives.

Our Mission

We believe that no-one should die because they can’t afford or access a simple drug like insulin. We collect unwanted insulin and diabetes supplies and connect them with people across the world who need them most. Our mission is to save lives and help those with diabetes survive and thrive in their communities.”

Our Story

Insulin for Life began in Melbourne, Australia way back in 1984. Our founder, Ron Raab OAM read a story about a young girl in Africa with Type 1 diabetes whose only wish was to live until Christmas. She was able to obtain a small amount insulin, lived until Christmas but sadly passed away soon afterwards. Ron, who has had Type 1 diabetes since the age of six, realised this could have been his fate had he lived in another part of the world.

While working with the International Diabetes Institute, he was approached by a pharmacist involved with the International Diabetes Federation, who asked if he had access to insulin that could be donated for use by a diabetes specialist in Tanzania. Ron had his "light bulb moment" as he realised that perfectly good insulin and diabetes supplies no longer needed in Australia could be sent to places around the world where they were desperately needed. Insulin for Life was born.

As health care professionals around Australia learned of the program, they collected and donated more and more supplies which would otherwise have been wasted, allowing Insulin for Life to send millions of dollars of life saving insulin and other diabetes supplies to those who need them most.

Going Global

The IFL program now operates across the world and continues to expand. It is a network of independent not-for-profit affiliate centres which collect and distribute insulin and supplies. Every year over $1 million worth of unwanted supplies are sent-worldwide in response to emergency requests and as part of ongoing sustainable programs. Find out more about Where We Work.

The Fiona Kwok Complications Prevention Program

We are proud to run the ‘Fiona Kwok Diabetes Complication Prevention Program' in honour of Fiona Kwok. This program aims to prevent and reverse complications of diabetes for those in developing countries. Diabetes has significant associated morbidity. Prevention and treatment of the complications of diabetes have the potential to improve quality of life and increase life expectancy.

Fiona was born on 2 September 1984 in Victoria, to her loving parents Ella and Francis. Fi, as she was known to her friends, was a generous, loving, passionate and kind soul, who was taken from us far too early at the tender age of 31. Fiona spent most of her career helping patients with diabetes. Fi had tragically lost her mother during her undergraduate years, soon after which Fi was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. As a person with diabetes, she found great pleasure and meaning in her work helping people with diabetes. Dear to her heart was a desire of all people with diabetes to have equal access to life saving insulin. She saw it as a great privilege to be able to help people improve their quality of life, applied herself to the task with all of her heart, a great deal of spunk, a dark sense of humour and wit.

Our Team

Our Founder
Ron Raab OAM

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Our President
Alicia Jenkins

Board Members: Paul Williams and Neil Donelan

Volunteers

Partners

We need your help to get insulin to those who need it most. Please donate, or subscribe to our mailing list.

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