American Councils for International Education and iEARN-USA partner with the U.S. Department of State on the YES Program. We are reviewing this website to ensure compliance with recent executive orders and other guidance.

STORIES

Back to Stories

Diabetes Awareness Month Walk-A-Thon

December 17, 2024

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, an opportunity to highlight key health practices to manage the condition which affects over 800 million people globally. From Monday, November 25th, to Sunday, December 1st, 19 Palestinian YES alumni in the West Bank participated in a walking challenge to raise awareness about the importance of exercise for diabetes management.

Together, the alumni walked over 276 km (~170 miles) in just one week—a distance greater than that between Washington, D.C., and Atlantic City. Along their walking routes, the participants placed posters to educate the public on the benefits of exercise for diabetes patients.

The alumni set the American Diabetes Association's recommendation of at least 30 minutes of walking (equivalent to 10,000 steps) daily for diabetes management as their minimum goal. However, many alumni exceeded this target.

Judy Marzuqa '22, walked for two hours in her city of Bethlehem on November 29th, wandering around the beautiful 2,000-year-old Church of the Nativity. On the same day, Tala Zalloum ‘20 walked for 80 minutes in Ramallah, but to beat Judy’s record, Tala walked for another hour on a treadmill at home later that day.

Other alumni, like Ahmed Rayyan, YES '19, a medical student, shared a picture of the awareness poster he posted at Halhoul Governmental Hospital, where he is currently training. He also set a personal goal of walking 30 minutes every day in the hospital's garden during his midday break.

Razan Hussein '23, who was in San Francisco during the challenge, shared a map of her walking path from Mission Bay to the Ferry Building and back in 80 minutes.

All 19 alumni participants submitted a picture of their walking path along with proof of time, using a smartphone step-counter app or a treadmill screen. This ensured accurate tracking of the number of hours and kilometers walked by each participant. The winner, who logged the highest walking score, will be recognized at the next YES Alumni Annual Reunion.

Ahmed Rayyan ‘19 shared, "A 30-minute walk in the hospital's garden has become an essential part of my day, and I will continue to do it every day after the challenge, as long as I can."