This project is no longer ongoing
The Diabetes Association of Botswana and the Cancer Association of Botswana, through their collaborative effort with the Y-Care Charitable Trust, engaged in the 4th Y-Care Annual Chairman’s Challenge from August 6 to 11, 2018. The event involved a run of 390 km over six days by Mr Modise Koofhethile, Chairman of Y-Care Charitable Trust, and his team. Passing through 18 rural villages in Eastern Botswana, the run increased awareness about diabetes and cancer among communities. Kagiso led a team of Youth Leaders from the Diabetes Association of Botswana.
During six days and for a total of 480 km, five marathon runners gave their best to draw attention on NCDs. Everytime they passed through a village, Kagiso and his team undertook free diabetes screenings and held diabetes education talks to raise awareness of the condition in local communities. A total of 1148 people were screened, 25 of them presented symptoms of diabetes, and an additional 56 presented dangerously high blood pressure levels. All these people at risk were immediately redirected to the closest health facility.
The screenings and educational talks were free of charge for the participants and were open for everyone to attend. Their goal was to raise awareness of NCDs in isolated communitites of Eastern Botswana.
2019 welcomed an additional ambitious event: the Diamond Cycling Challenge. The project gathered ten cyclists riding in nine different villages covering a distance of about 1000 km in two weeks. Just as for the run, at every village were carried out diabetes screenings and held educational talks.