November marked the 19th Diabetes Awareness Month of the Global Diabetes Walk campaign, and we are thrilled that thousands of people mobilised and inspired others to join the cause.
14 December 2023 Effie Voursouki
The campaign continued to focus on large-scale outdoor walks and recruiting new Walk Ambassadors - a global community of diabetes advocates who inspire others to embrace physical activity through the simple pleasure of walking.
The month was filled with hundreds of activities aiming to educate on diabetes prevention. These ranged from hosting community walks and organising educational online sessions to offering free testing and mobilising volunteers or diabetes self-support groups to share informative materials.
The organisers’ efforts were geared towards raising awareness for a non-communicable disease affecting approximately 537 million adults (20-79 years), according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
Most of the Walks and health-related activities took place on 14 November, celebrated globally as World Diabetes Day (WDD).
Dr Edita Blakaj, a Walk Ambassador for Kosovo who works at the Sheikh Zayed Hospital in Vushtrri’s Municipality, walked with her colleagues and arranged many engaging activities for healthcare professionals and citizens, such as free diabetic health services.
‘Awareness and support for diabetes patients extend beyond medicine, bringing community and healthcare services at the heart of a collective commitment to improving health’, says Dr Edita Blakaj. ‘Living with diabetes is tough, but you are tougher.’
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