Dubai: Landmark Group is inviting everyone to put their best foot forward to help fight diabetes across the UAE.
The firm will host the seventh edition of the Beat Diabetes Walk at Dubai’s Zabeel Park on November 20, following a highly successful run last year which witnessed 14,000 walkers for the event.
Funds will be raised by asking walkers for a participation fee of Dh20 per adult and Dh10 for children aged 14 and under with children under eight years of age walking free.
The UAE fund-raising drive and its walk last year by Landmark Group raised more than Dh900,000 for Al Jalila Foundation’s ongoing health care and diabetes research.
In a statement on Tuesday, Landmark said all fees will be donated to Al Jalila Foundation, a global, not-for profit organisation established by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The organisation provides philanthropic support to world-class medical education and research for a range of conditions.
Registrations for the seventh annual Beat Diabetes Walk in the UAE can be completed online at www.beatdiabetes.me from October 18 to November 15. All registered participants will receive a walkathon kit comprising a Beat Diabetes T-shirt and cap via courier through Aramex, the official logistics partner for the walk.
The Beat Diabetes Walk will span approximately three kilometres.
The venue will also offer a host of complimentary fun-filled activities, including special fitness activities like Zumba and yoga, or spot fitness challenges and dance routines. Children will be kept entertained at a children’s sports zone featuring football, basketball and inflatable slides. In addition, an on-site DJ and live entertainment acts will help create a carnival atmosphere at the walk. Stands serving healthy snacks will also be set up at the venue.
Statistics from International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) revealed that almost 19 per cent of the UAE population (approximately 750,000 people) is affected by the condition. The UAE ranks fifth in the region for diabetes prevalence. A further alarming projection is that over 50 per cent of the estimated 363,000 diabetes-related deaths in 2014, in the Mena region, will be of individuals under the age of 60.
