CATHERINE W GICHUKI

DOHA RASGAS Company Ltd on Thursday announced its support for the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) Youth Diabetes Prevention Camps as a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme.

The company will support four camps for boys and girls aged between 12 and 15 years to educate them on the risk of developing diabetes.

The first two camps will take place this month while the other two will be held at a later date.

The girls’ camp will be held from May 7 to 9 at the Qatar Foundation Recreation Centre while the boys’ camp will be held at the Al Barzan Youth Center from May 13 to 17.

Speaking at a press conference, QDA Executive Director Abdullah al Hamaq said the camps would enlighten the youth about healthy lifestyles, including diet and physical activity. In addition, the teenagers would be given tips on diabetes prevention.

“The rate of obesity is rising in Qatar. Currently, the obesity prevalence is about 40 percent and this is the reason why we are focusing on schools to enlighten them on obesity prevention. Obesity is the major risk factor to diabetes. Therefore, it is very important to educate them on proper diet and physical activity.” Hamaq said this was the second year that the camps were being hosted.

Thanking RasGas for the support, he said, “We appreciate the support of RasGas which helps in the delivery of QDA’s mission toward the society, especially for the teenagers to be aware of the importance of issues relevant to healthy lifestyles such as food choices, daily exercises and general daily activity. We believe that this kind of support will help us achieve the vision to raise the quality of life in Qatar through raising awareness about healthy lifestyle, management and prevention of diabetes.

According to Jassim Ashkanani, public affairs officer of RasGas, the company was committed to raising awareness about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle.

“The ‘Year of Health’ campaign focuses on internal and external activities around the three themes of nutrition, exercise and healthy living.

We understand that health living habits start at a young age and that children need to be equipped with the tools and knowledge early in life to make choices that will help them to grow into adults that lead a healthy lifestyle. It is for that reason that we see this partnership with Qatar Diabetes Association as an excellent opportunity to reach out to the youth and through them help foster a healthier generation of adults.

Children are our future and it is through them that we are given a chance to educate an entire nation,” Ashkanani said.