Hinduja Foundation Empowers 1,000+ Young Lives Through Its Type 1 Diabetes initiative

World Diabetes Day carries a different weight for families who live with the condition every hour of every day. This year, the Hinduja Foundation used the occasion to quietly mark a milestone of its own: more than a thousand underprivileged children across Mumbai, Pune and Chennai are now part of a programme that has changed not only their medical outcomes but the rhythm of their daily lives.

Started in April 2019, it has now grown to support children with Type 1 Diabetes and, over six years, has taken on a shape far larger. The model is simple in principle but rare in practice — free insulin, routine diagnostics, nutritional support and counselling for children who otherwise struggle to access even the basics of diabetes care. The evidence is there: a significant decrease in hospital admissions and a drop in average HbA1c levels from 10.4% to 7.8%, which proves much better disease control.

Unfortunately, India is leading the world in the number of children affected by Type 1 Diabetes, with the number of cases increasing rapidly. The demand, therefore, is very clear and urgent, as one can imagine.. Type 1 Diabetes doesn’t wait for a family’s income to rise. It doesn’t pause for school exams or festivals or the thousand small demands of childhood. It requires care every day, without exception.

“Type 1 Diabetes is not just a medical condition, it’s a lifelong journey of courage, discipline and hope,” said Raman Kalyanakrishnan, CEO of the Hinduja Foundation. His words echo the lived reality of the families involved. The Foundation’s network of partner hospitals—P.D. Hinduja Hospital & Medical Research Centre, Madras Diabetes Research Foundation & Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, and KEM Hospital, Pune—anchors the medical side of the programme, but much of its value lies in the human connection it builds.

Over time, the initiative has moved beyond treatment into something far more textured. More than 40 children now use insulin pumps, including 20 with advanced automated systems that make blood-sugar management easier and allow them to lead lives that look a little more like those of their peers. In Pune, ClubOne—a peer-support group created with KEM Hospital—has grown into a small, lively community where children learn from each other, trade notes on school and sports, and make sense of their condition in a space where they aren’t the odd one out.

The numbers are visible in classrooms, sports fields and dining tables as school attendance has improved, as has participation in extracurricular activities. Some children have gone on to compete in state-level archery and chess. Regular monitoring has strengthened nutrition and growth outcomes. Families speak of fewer emergencies and more confidence in managing the condition at home.

The Foundation has also entered international research circles through a collaboration with Harvard University’s Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology (CDIC). 

The next chapter states that the Foundation will focus on widening access. Costs remain a barrier for far too many families. Technology, if deployed thoughtfully, could make diabetes management simpler, more consistent and less financially punishing. Those possibilities are now being explored with new partners.

For the children already part of the programme, the impact is far from abstract. It shows up in the absence of fear during playtime, in a schoolbag that no longer hides emergency snacks, in a parent who sleeps a little more easily at night. The Foundation’s work doesn’t erase Type 1 Diabetes, but it gives these children something just as precious: a fair chance at a normal childhood.