About Us
Viola Diabetes Foundation
About Us
VIOLA DIABETES FOUNDATION
Our History
HOW IT STARTED
The Viola Diabetes Foundation was founded in December 2020 by Ruby Biaku with support from her siblings.
It was initially named the Viola Biaku Diabetes Foundation in honour of their mother, Mrs Viola Grace Afua Biaku, who lived well with Type 2 diabetes for nearly 40 years.
The foundation’s primary aim at that time was to support diabetes care in Leklebi Kame and Kudzra, the home villages of Viola and her children. In these communities, residents had to risk their lives by using illegal and unsafe commercial motorbikes (also called Okada) to travel several miles across several villages to check their blood sugar, as there were no testing or diabetes services available at the local health centre.
Soon after the launch of the foundation and seeing the positive impact of their efforts on the community, the board resolved to expand their services to other rural and underserved communities across Ghana. Consequently, the foundation’s name was changed to the Viola Diabetes Foundation to better reflect this broader mission.
The foundation’s logo features a lotus flower, symbolising health, and the colour violet, associated with the name Viola, is represented in various shades throughout the foundation’s branding.
The slogan “Check the Sugar” serves as a reminder for everyone to monitor their sugar intake and to regularly check their blood sugar levels.
Our History
HOW IT STARTED
The Viola Diabetes Foundation was founded in December 2020 by Ruby Biaku with support from her siblings.
It was initially named the Viola Biaku Diabetes Foundation in honour of their mother, Mrs Viola Grace Afua Biaku, who lived well with Type 2 diabetes for nearly 40 years.
The foundation’s primary aim at that time was to support diabetes care in Leklebi Kame and Kudzra, the home villages of Viola and her children. In these communities, residents had to risk their lives by using illegal and unsafe commercial motorbikes (also called Okada) to travel several miles across several villages to check their blood sugar, as there were no testing or diabetes services available at the local health centre.
Soon after the launch of the foundation and seeing the positive impact of their efforts on the community, the board resolved to expand their services to other rural and underserved communities across Ghana. Consequently, the foundation’s name was changed to the Viola Diabetes Foundation to better reflect this broader mission.
The foundation’s logo features a lotus flower, symbolising health, and the colour violet, associated with the name Viola, is represented in various shades throughout the foundation’s branding.
The slogan “Check the Sugar” serves as a reminder for everyone to monitor their sugar intake and to regularly check their blood sugar levels.
Our Vision
To help build a healthy nation where no one is left behind because of diabetes.
Our Mission
Our mission is to help prevent, detect, and manage diabetes in rural communities and among people with special needs through education, testing, and providing essential resources for diabetes care.
Our Activities
Our activities focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle, supporting early detection, and assisting in the effective management of diabetes. We
We Educate
Educate the public about diabetes.
We Support
Offer self-care education and support for individuals with diabetes
We Test
Check blood sugar levels for high-risk individuals and those living with diabetes.
We Collect Data
Develop data collection tools and collect data on diabetes.
We Organize
Organize diabetes clinics.
We prioritize low-income individuals, underserved communities and people with mobility problems.
Our efforts align with Ghana’s national health goals and the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals.
We develop programs that have the potential to be scaled up nationally.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Our Values
Empathy
Integrity
.
Teamwork
Volunteerism
Our Activities
Our activities focus on promoting a healthy lifestyle, supporting early detection, and assisting in the effective management of diabetes. We
We Educate
Educate the public about diabetes.
We Support
Offer self-care education and support for individuals with diabetes
We Test
Check blood sugar levels for high-risk individuals and those living with diabetes.
We Collect Data
Develop data collection tools and collect data on diabetes.
We Organize
Organize diabetes clinics.
We prioritize low-income individuals, underserved communities and people with mobility problems.
Our efforts align with Ghana’s national health goals and the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals.
We develop programs that have the potential to be scaled up nationally.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Our Values
Empathy
Integrity
.
Teamwork
Volunteerism
Our Programmes
VIOLA COMMUNITY DIABETES PROGRAMME
Prevention. Detection. Management
Diabetes is destroying lives and livelihoods in rural communities in Ghana due to low levels of knowledge about the disease and inadequate healthcare resources for diagnosing and managing the disease.
To address this, Viola Diabetes Foundation through its Viola Community Diabetes Programme, is helping to control diabetes in rural areas through awareness creation, screening and provision of resources for managing the disease.
Viola Community Diabetes Programme
NORVISI INITIATIVE
Providing a Helping Hand for people with diabetes who have mobility problems
Low-income individuals with diabetes who have mobility issues often rely on caregivers to travel to healthcare facilities, which increases costs, hinders treatment adherence, and ultimately leads to poor health outcomes. It also takes up productive time of informal caregivers, resulting in decreased productivity.
The Viola Diabetes Foundation addresses this through its Norvisi Initiative by supplying glucometers and accessories to these people for home monitoring. This reduces the need for hospital visits, lowers travel expenses, and improves adherence and treatment outcomes. It also allows informal caregivers to have more time to engage in other productive activities.
Norvisi Initiative
Our Achievements
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Our
Volunteers
Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and are the foundation’s backbone. They dedicate their time and energy to ensure the success of our programs while also enjoying the fresh and wonderful atmosphere of the countryside.
Our
Volunteers
Our volunteers come from diverse backgrounds and are the foundation’s backbone. They dedicate their time and energy to ensure the success of our programs while also enjoying the fresh and wonderful atmosphere of the countryside.
Our Team
THE VIOLA DIABETES FOUNDATION DEDICATED TEAM
Dr. Ruby Biaku
Founder & Strategist
Pharmacist/Public Health Strategist
Mr. Jonathan Abbey
Head of Comm. & Publicity
MBA Marketing/Communication
Ms. Sheila Galley
Lead Volunteer
BSc Accounting/Young ladies leader SDA La- North
Our Directors
THE VIOLA DIABETES FOUNDATION
Our Team
THE VIOLA DIABETES FOUNDATION DEDICATED TEAM
Dr. Ruby Biaku
Founder & Strategist
Pharmacist/Public Health Strategist
Mr. Jonathan Abbey
Head of Comm. & Publicity
MBA Marketing/Comm.
Ms. Sheila Galley
Lead Volunteer
BSc Accounting/Young ladies leader SDA La- North
Our Directors
THE VIOLA DIABETES FOUNDATION
