AYUDA 2026 Campo Amigo Program

I am excited to share that, this summer, I will return for a second year as a volunteer with American Youth Understanding Diabetes Abroad, Inc. (AYUDA) in the Dominican Republic. 

Together with AYUDA's in-country partner organization, Aprendiendo a Vivir ("learning to live"), and my fellow volunteers, we host day-long diabetes camps to educate, support and inspire people of all ages living with diabetes and their families.  

WHAT IS AYUDA?

AYUDA brings international volunteers to the Dominican Republic to help empower local youth living with diabetes to live happier and healthier lives with their condition.

It was founded in reaction to seeing children with diabetes who had access to insulin and basic medical treatment but still suffered complications and early death because they did not know how to manage their condition. To this end, AYUDA operates under the guiding principle that a lack of education is just as dangerous as a lack of insulin.

WHY I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT AYUDA:

My brother, Zach, was diagnosed with Type1 Diabetes in 2016 and I have seen first-hand how much our family's  knowledge about T1D has expanded and how much it has helped him live a happy, healthy life. I can't wait to empower kids in the Dominican Republic with this same life-changing information. 

WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE:

Please consider supporting my work this summer and the amazing work AYUDA does by making a contribution. Your donation is tax-deductible and quick and easy to make online. 

Your support ensures that local diabetes programs in the Dominican Republic will continue to thrive and that young people in these communities will have access to education and tools that will help them live happier, healthier lives with diabetes. A donation of any size makes a difference and is greatly appreciated. 

AYUDA gives volunteers like me hands-on experiences that inspire us to serve as agents of social change, not only in diabetes communities, but in other areas of our lives, as well. 

In order to remain a grassroots volunteer-based organization, AYUDA asks its volunteers to contribute a major part of the costs to run AYUDA’s programs through fundraising. Without the dedication of individual volunteers, and support from people like you, AYUDA would not be able to implement its programs to support local diabetes communities.

Please consider supporting my work today. Thank you!

Zach on the day he was diagnosed with T1DZach getting his first insulin pump

  Ayuda Camp from last year