How Justa Kajuju Mwenda turned der diabetes struggle into a lifeline for others

When Justa Kajuju Mwenda was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes during her university years, her life changed in ways she had not anticipated. Once a bubbly young woman enjoying campus life, she suddenly had to organise her days around insulin injections, strict routines and the constant demands of managing a chronic condition.

Beyond the physical adjustments, there was the emotional burden. She struggled with isolation, stigma and the difficulty of helping family and friends understand a condition they knew little about. While her peers navigated university life with fewer health-related considerations, she often felt different, questioning why her body could not function like everyone else’s and worrying that her condition made her a burden to those around her.

But one of her greatest challenges was finding a community that understood what she was experiencing. The support she needed was difficult to find, and the absence of that support became a turning point.

“When I searched for a support network and found none, I decided to build one myself,” Mwenda recalls.

That decision led to the founding of DiaHope Africa, an organisation dedicated to supporting young people living with diabetes through education, peer support, awareness and improved access to essential healthcare.

What began as a response to a personal need has since grown into a broader effort to ensure that a diabetes diagnosis does not leave young people isolated or limit their opportunities.

Turning Personal Experience into Collective Impact

Mwenda’s journey from searching for answers to becoming an advocate was shaped by the realisation that her experience was shared by many others. Across communities, young people were navigating diabetes amid misinformation, fear and limited understanding.

Initially, she searched for a cure, hoping to find a way out of the difficulties she faced. Over time, she recognised the importance of continuous care, reliable information and a support system that empowers people to manage their condition. Her focus shifted from finding a personal solution to addressing the gaps that made life harder for others.

Through DiaHope Africa, she began creating spaces where young people could learn, share experiences and challenge misconceptions. School and university engagements, diabetes clubs and community awareness initiatives became practical ways to bring these conversations into public spaces.

The scale of that work was evident during World Diabetes Day 2025. In collaboration with Kenyatta University, Diabetes Kenya and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), DiaHope Africa organised an awareness walk that mobilised 5,000 students from different schools. The accompanying programme at Kenyatta University facilitated the screening of nearly 4,000 people, with support from hospital and other in-kind partners.

The initiative also provided a platform to launch DiaHope Africa’s Dia clubs, which have established a presence at Kenyatta University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Zetech University and high schools.

Beyond these activities, Mwenda is helping develop the next generation of advocates. She is currently training 40 diabetes advocates to use lived experience and storytelling to advance public awareness, improve diabetes management and influence policy.

“Mentorship ensures that advocacy doesn’t end with one person or one tenure,” Mwenda explains. “By putting young people directly into leadership roles, they learn by doing, gain confidence, and carry the movement forward.”

Her broader engagements with the IDF and dedoc° voices have also exposed her to international perspectives on diabetes care, health economics and evidence-based advocacy. As a Global Patient Representative with dedoc° voices and a Young Leader in Diabetes through the IDF, she continues to champion the involvement of people living with diabetes in decisions affecting their care.

Her advocacy calls for more inclusive schools and workplaces, earlier diagnosis, reliable access to insulin and glucose-monitoring supplies, and stronger diabetes surveillance systems. These priorities reflect her conviction that awareness must translate into practical support and lasting institutional change.

Together, these efforts demonstrate how one person’s search for support has evolved into opportunities for thousands to learn, access screening and participate in a growing advocacy movement.

Learning to Build for Greater Impact

As DiaHope Africa’s work expanded, Mwenda recognised that sustaining its growth required more than passion and experience. She needed organisational, digital and communication skills to strengthen operations, coordinate stakeholders and build partnerships.

Her academic background in linguistics and public policy had already equipped her to understand the power of communication and the importance of policy in addressing systemic challenges. However, she sought additional capabilities that could help translate her mission into a more structured and sustainable organisation.

This led her to enrol in ALX programmes in AI Career Essentials and Virtual Assistance. Through the programmes, she developed skills in digital tools, administrative coordination, communication and operational management, while connecting with a wider Pan-African community of peers and innovators.

“Upskilling at ALX didn’t just give me tech tools; it sharpened my voice, broadened my platform, and gave me the community support needed to take diabetes advocacy to a global level,” Mwenda says.

She has applied these skills to coordinate activities, manage meetings, communicate DiaHope Africa’s impact and engage more effectively with stakeholders. Drawing on her virtual assistance training, she also manages budgets, coordinates office operations and mentors young team members. Her communication skills have helped her structure ideas, pitch to stakeholders and use digital platforms to reach wider audiences.

Combined with her academic background and broader advocacy experience, these capabilities are helping her build a more structured and sustainable organisation.

The ALX experience has complemented a mission that was already underway, giving Mwenda additional tools, confidence and connections to organise and extend her advocacy.

Creating Opportunities Beyond the Diagnosis

For Mwenda, the next phase of DiaHope Africa’s work is about building a more connected and sustainable support system. The organisation plans to establish Dia clubs in at least 50 institutions across and beyond Kenya, develop an educational app connecting young people with doctors, expand access to glucose-monitoring devices and pilot the Dia-Band, an opt-in digital band designed to help bystanders recognise and respond to diabetes emergencies.

These remain future ambitions, building on the organisation’s existing programmes and reach.

Economic inclusion is equally central to her vision. Mwenda wants young people living with diabetes to access digital skills training, employment, internships and entrepreneurship opportunities without their health conditions defining their professional prospects. Through partnerships, including its engagement with ALX, DiaHope Africa aims to help young people develop the skills and confidence to participate more fully in society.

An upcoming patient symposium planned with ALX for World Diabetes Day on 14 November 2026 is one of the initiatives intended to advance this mission. For Mwenda, success is not simply about raising awareness of diabetes. It is about ensuring that young people have the knowledge, support and opportunities to shape their own futures.

Her ambition is to help build a society where young people living with diabetes are “healthy, skilled and employed, recognised for their talent rather than defined by their condition.”

The support she once struggled to find is becoming the foundation of something larger: a community where young people can learn from one another, become advocates and help change the systems around them. By building DiaHope Africa and investing in the capabilities to grow it, Mwenda is working towards a future in which a diabetes diagnosis does not determine how far a young person can go.