Hi, I’m Kenza Beldjilali from Algeria, and I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes since 1980.
I was diagnosed at the age of six and over the past 45 years I’ve lived every stage of life with diabetes — as a child, teenager, woman, wife, mother, and professional. This journey has taught me resilience, discipline, and the importance of prevention, emotional support and a balanced lifestyle to move forward with confidence.
After the COVID 19 pandemic, I turned my experience into a mission. I shifted my career towards coaching therapy and training, and I now work as a health and wellbeing consultant. I created MedinaWelle, a travel agency specialising in holistic health and wellbeing tourism, to offer people with diabetes safe, positive, and tailored experiences. Through my workshops and training sessions, I support people in their mental, emotional, and physical health with special care for those living with diabetes.
One of my biggest dreams is to organise holiday camps for children with diabetes and their parents — places where they can learn to manage diabetes without fear, listen to their bodies, understand their emotions, overcome stress, and break through loneliness.
Algeria has the fifth highest number of adults with diabetes in the IDF MENA Region, with an estimated 188,195 people of all ages living with type 1 diabetes in 2024, including around 56,162 children and adolescents. I believe IDF is a key partner in bringing this vision to life in Algeria and in spreading a message every child deserves to hear: You are not different. You are strong. You can live fully. You can dream big.
“I was diagnosed at the age of six and over the past 45 years I’ve lived every stage of life with diabetes — as a child, teenager, woman, wife, mother, and professional. This journey has taught me resilience, discipline, and the importance of prevention, emotional support and a balanced lifestyle to move forward with confidence.”
