Children and adolescents in focus on World Diabetes Day

Children in Chile joining the Global Diabetes Walk 2007.

Since 2004, the World Diabetes Foundation has encouraged people around the world to walk on World Diabetes Day. This year, particularly children and adolescents are encouraged to join the walk. The Global Diabetes Walk is an ideal way to show your support and to raise awareness of the campaign in a unique way. So tie your shoes, get off the couch and hit the road!

Worldwide Walks

Two weeks before the World Diabetes Day, more than 230,000 people in 62 countries have registered to walk. The majority of the walks are registered by World Diabetes Foundation projects partners, International Diabetes Federation membership associations, local medical doctors, schools, civil society and universities across the world. All will walk to mark World Diabetes Day. Some of the walks registered are:

• London, Ontario, the birthplace of insulin: Around 2,500 students and staff at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School will walk to help raise awareness about diabetes. 
• Cape Town, South Africa: 500 people are expected to participate in the Diabetes SA Run/Walk for life. 
• Ramallah, Palestine: The walk will be the culmination of an entire week’s activities with an expected 1000 participants. 
• The World Diabetes Foundation supported Jagran Pehel media campaign in India will arrange a major diabetes walk marathon including 25,000 children and youngsters to support the Global Diabetes Walk activities and the theme for the World Diabetes Day. 
• Qingdao, China: the Ministry of Health has registered 10,000 participants who will take to the streets and disseminate knowledge about healthy living in the rural area of the province.

World Diabetes Day event in Afghanistan, 2007.

How to organise or join a walk

There are lots of ways to join in. Involve your entire school, class by class, or get your parents involved. Or you can simply walk for 30 minutes. Only your creativity limits you!  Follow these links to join a walk or create your own.
You can also create your own awareness campaign using the free design toolkit available for download on the website. You can find staggering facts to convince your friends, family and colleagues to walk with you.

The important goal of walking on World Diabetes Day is to raise awareness about diabetes and the easy way to prevent this disease through regular physical exercise. Last year, a record number of 207,694 people from 70 countries worldwide participated in the walk – a clear attestation of the worldwide support for and growing awareness of diabetes. Since August this year, 293 walks have been submitted on globaldiabeteswalk.net, and more than 230,000 people are expected to join the walk. Help us break the record again this year.

If you have any questions about the walk, please visit globaldiabeteswalk.net or send an e-mail to the  Communication Coordinator of the World Diabetes Foundation Ms. Brit Larsen.

For the second year in a row, World Diabetes Day is being celebrated as an official UN observed day. Following the campaign by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in December 2006 the UN passed the resolution marking 14th November as the UN observed World Diabetes Day and recognising that diabetes poses serious challenges to world health and urging member states to take sustainable actions to curb the epidemic.