The "Mission: Diabetes. You are part of the solution. Be a member of the Team!" information campaign, which runs under the auspices of the Hellenic Diabetes Association (HDA) and the Panhellenic Federation of People with Diabetes (P.F.P.D.), is organized by Agoni Grammi Gonimi, with the generous support of ELPEN.
The campaign was presented in a Press conference, which was held on the 10th of November, 2015. Speakers included Dr. Ioannis Ioannidis, President of HDA, Pathologist specialized in Diabetes, Director of 1st Dpt. Of Internal Medicine & Head of Diabetes and Obesity Outpatient Clinic, Nea Ionia General Hospital Konstantinoupolio Patision, Mr. Christos Daramilas, President of P.F.P.D., Biologist, MSc "Care in Diabetes Mellitus", Mrs. Cleo Apostolaki, Healthcare Projects Manager at Agoni Grammi Gonimi, and Mr. Konstantinos Ioannidis, Director of Corporate Communication & Human Resources at ELPEN.
During the "Diabetes" Mission, students from the 5th and 6th Primary grades take on the mission of discovering the treasures of good health, exercise and healthy nutrition, through a creative game of art and knowledge. In addition, accompanied by their favorite athletes, students take charge of spreading the message to even more children, parents and relatives, so that we can, all together, "win" over Diabetes - an increasing global epidemic, counting approximately 1,200,000 patients in Greece and 350,000,000 worldwide, with 90% of them suffering from Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes is more frequent in developed countries, as it is directly related to the "western lifestyle" - that is, lack of exercise, sedentary routine and unhealthy nutrition–, and is one of the primary causes of death worldwide.
The "Diabetes" Mission will take place at the end of 2015 and throughout 2016, and will include the following destinations: Patras, Thessaloniki, Mytilene, Rhodes, Kavala, Crete (Rethymno), Serres, Chios, Alexandroupolis and Athens. One of the following athletes will visit each school: Thodoris Papaloukas, Alexandros Nikolaidis, Kostas Gkatsioudis, Nikos Roumeliotis, Anthe Karagianni, Andreas Zissimos, Giannis Georgallis, Anestis Anastasiadis, Christoforos Meroussis and Giorgos Siakkas. Each athlete will deliver sports equipment, as requested by the school he or she shall visit, and will enhance the dissemination of the message for systematic exercise, which is a solution for the prevention of Diabetes.
The "Discovering the treasures of good health. Exercise and healthy nutrition" educational game was designed by a group of teachers specialized in arts, with the scientific assistance of HDA. During the game, children will learn important information pertaining to the way the human body functions. They will also learn that systematic exercise and healthy diet can protect against the appearance of Diabetes. Moreover, with the information that they shall collect, they will handcraft their own healthy human organism.
On behalf of ELPEN, which, through this activity, continues the CSR program "A Journey to Greece, with Health as a Compass!", Mr. K. Ioannidis noted: "At times when many voices are being heard within the market and the society, modern Greek citizens need some creative silence, along with substantial projects that leave a trace of optimism. ELPEN chose the «Mission: Diabetes» program to be this trace, with the desire to create a National Diabetes Team, which will concern the entire country, and all ages, thus promoting the need for healthy nutrition and exercise, in a creative manner." Mr. Ioannidis also highlighted that this program strengthens the idea of working all together, as a team, towards the realization of such a high goal. Finally, hewarmly thanked the outstanding athletes, who, pro bono, offer their time to make this goal come true.
Dr. I. Ioannidis, President of HDA underlined: "The sensitization and information about healthy nutrition, as well as exercising, is the basic pillar of diabetes (and other chronic diseases')prevention. In parallel, consolidating knowledge relating to a healthy lifestyle entails multiple benefits for children and young men and women. The «Mission: Diabetes» campaign is such an effort, which will contribute to this cause. The Hellenic Diabetes Association is happy and honored to take such activities under its auspices, since, amongst other goals, we aim at providing information and activities that contribute to the understanding and prevention of Diabetes Mellitus."
Mr. Daramilas mentioned: "This year, our country might be socially and financially weakened;yet, P.F.P.D. has increased its activities, and continues to fight for the realization and establishment of patients' rights, while seeking solutions for a better life quality. One of our primary objectives is to educate minors about maintaining a normal body weight, through healthy nutrition and exercise, both of which limit the high risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Within this context, P.F.P.D. is happy to be collaborating with all entities for the «Mission: Diabetes», since the program's goals (that is, information, sensitization and activation of young students) coincide with the goals set by P.F.P.D."
Owing to the numerous educational programs realized by Agoni Grammi Gonimi over the last 10 years, Mrs. Cleo Apostolaki put forth the need of people, from all over Greece, to participate in information educational programs. She also noted that: "Through diverse educational programs realized with a focus on culture, sports, environment, and health, Agoni Grammi Gonimi has always set as its principal goal to help improve the life quality of our fellow men and women. This particular program is of exceptional importance, since, through two simple but critical actions, that is, exercise and healthy diet, we can prevent the appearance of Diabetes, a disease that concerns all of us, young and older ones. This is the message we want to pass on to the children and their parents, and we wish that, through the collaboration of all parties and the participation of great athletes, each one of us contributes, from his standpoint, to ensuring a better everyday life."