World Diabetes Day (14 November) is used to create awareness of diabetes throughout the world. It is a fact that in recent years the incidence of diabetes has been increasing greatly on a world level. In order to counteract this development, the diabetes community is putting diabetes on the agenda on World Diabetes Day. But if we are really going to reverse the trend for our children, we need to support the educational work more actively.

Here are two suggestions for activities on World Diabetes Day:

1. Arrange School Challenge activities for children.

On World Diabetes Day 2005 more than 60,000 children from more than 30 countries were actively involved in School Challenge activities thanks to guest teacher visits from Novo Nordisk employees. Read about some of the activities here.

2. Take part in the Global Diabetes Walk.

The World Diabetes Foundation invites people to take part in the Global Diabetes Walk every year on World Diabetes Day. In 2005 almost 90,000 people from 39 countries took part in the walk. Read how you can arrange your own Global Diabetes Walk with children here.

By supporting the International Diabetes Federation’s Unite for Diabetes campaign you can help to make World Diabetes Day a UN-observed day. Among other things, a UN resolution will ensure that the day is observed by the international community every year on 14 November. Sign up to support the campaign.