AYUDA 2026 Campo Amigo Program

firstly, thank you so very much to everyone who has donated, shown up for my bake sales/garage sales/etc., shared my posts, and generally shown your support for me and this program. truly, YOU have changed lives.

last summer i was so lucky to be a part of the group of volunteers that put on a campo amigo that highlighted the very best of what this program can be. we made connections with the diabetes community both old and young at our youth + family camps and at our type two diabetes educational workshop! we helped strengthen the network of the local organizations working on local educational and empowerment initiatives at our second annual campo in azua! and, as usual, we made new friends, struggled, overcame, danced, laughed, cried, and bolused for many orders of tostones! 

this summer, I had the honor and pleasure of speaking with the parent of a newly diagnosed young girl. he was, entirely within reason, worried for his daughter and her future and feeling a lot. sitting in front of him and letting him know that i, at my big age of twenty, have lived happily and healthily since my diagnosis communicated hope so powerfully and tangibly that our short conversation is without a doubt the stand out moment in the entirety of my time with AYUDA. i told him that i am the daughter of someone who almost eighteen years ago was just as afraid, confused, emotional, and uncertain as he was. and that through every fight over a painful injection and through every high-blood sugar induced tantrum my parents have made has made it to today to send their daughter off to college, and even overseas. sharing my story in such an impactful moment meant so much to me. I feel incredibly connected to this father and daughter who, hopefully with the help of the fudacion aprendiendo a vivir and AYUDA can thrive while caring for diabetes. we always say that AYUDA is a family, and this year that was more true than ever. my younger sibling Bailey joined me on this program. Bailey has been with me on my own journey with type one every step of the way, and I was so grateful to have them on this program that in particular provoked a lot of reflection and gratitude for how much my amazing family has done for me in living with t1d.

I have been working with ayuda for many years now (six summers and counting…) and i cannot begin to express how grateful i am for those in my life who continue to show up for me and this program, and for new friends and supporters who help make our work possible. returning to this program for my sixth year has once again assured me that the work AYUDA does with Campo Amigo is unlike anything else, and that i want to be a part of this work for as long as they will have me. 

i would be honored if you would consider making a contribution to this important cause, whatever you can give helps!  

one of AYUDA’s core principles is that our model is built on peer to peer connection and education, because of this our work creates a genuinely magical bond. i will forever be grateful for all that i have learned, experiences i have been invited to share, and they joy that this program radiates. as corny as it may sound, being a part of this program makes me a part of a whole that is truly so much more than the sum of its parts. together we really are stronger :) juntos somos más fuertes 🧡💙

Every summer I travel to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where I spend 3 weeks with Dominican and American volunteers planning and preparing activities for our educational day camps for kids of all ages living with diabetes and their families. We teach about insulin, blood glucose levels, carbohydrates, and even the psychosocial impacts of living with a chronic condition like diabetes. One of AYUDA's core principles is that a lack of education can be just as dangerous as a lack of medication or technology when it comes to diabetes, so our work prioritizes ensuring that our campers are informed and empowered to care for their own condition. We also connect families with people experiencing the same struggles as them, something that has been so impactful for me in my own life and my experience living with diabetes.

AYUDA's work is entirely volunteer funded! Please consider making a donation to help make our work possible, we can't do it without you!