Case stories
Throughout the years a wide range of TakeAction! activities have been carried out by employees all around the world. The activities are as varied and creative as the people who make them happen, but nevertheless they have one thing in common: they are brought about by employees who want to make a difference and support the Triple Bottom Line.
Holland: The annual beach day for kids with diabetes
“I'm not the only one with diabetes after all. At my school I'm an exception, here I'm just one of the crowd". These words were uttered by a child attending the annual beach day in Holland for children with diabetes. Every year on the first Saturday in September about 300 children and their families rally on the beach to play.
The event is organised by Karen Vink from Novo Nordisk in Holland. Together with the Dutch Diabetes Patient Organisation, she is in charge of the activities. She is one of 17 volunteers from Novo Nordisk in Holland who spend a day playing with the kids at the beach. “When I see the joy of all the kids playing, all volunteers working and parents chatting, it really makes my day!” Karen Vink says.
Ukraine: Changing diabetes in rural districts of Moldova
In the fall of 2008, 20 employees from Novo Nordisk in Ukraine packed their cars with glucose meters, test strips and leaflets and went on a mission to change diabetes in rural districts of Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe. In this area, diabetes is often diagnosed too late when patients with severe diabetes complications are admitted to hospitals. The rural population has to travel far in order to see a specialist, and that is why the Novo Nordisk employees from the neighbouring country decided to pack the cars and meet Moldovians near their homes.
For three days, ten cars drove out to selected regions. Each car was equipped with test tools and information material – and of course with diabetes experts. Teams of two volunteers from Novo Nordisk and one local doctor executed the information and screening campaign, and they were busy: Not less than 3000 people attended the lectures, and 2500 blood sugar measurements were conducted. Now 64 locals have the opportunity to regulate their newly diagnosed diabetes and avoid unnecessary complications.
Denmark: Sale accomplished by the book
On a Thursday in March 2009, Novo Nordisk employees at the Danish Headquarter flocked to the local library to make a bargain. The book sale has become an established tradition. This year 300 employees visited the library and raised 3,480 US dollars to a World Diabetes Foundation’s project supporting children with diabetes in Tanzania.
The project is aimed at making it possible for the children to regulate their diabetes, thus allowing them to go to school on the same conditions as their friends and survive longer. The book sale was the tenth in a succession. The first book sale took place in June 2003, and accumulated 22,940 US dollars has been collected and donated to charity projects.
