Togo: 500 pupils from Agoè high school learn about diabetes prevention

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Extract from the article: Diabetes has become a veritable epidemic. With the aim of protecting future generations from this devastating disease, the NGO VISA (International Volunteers for Health Promotion in Africa) and the Lions Club organised an awareness-raising event on 0

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Diabetes has become a veritable epidemic. With the aim of protecting future generations from this devastating disease, the NGO VISA (International Volunteers for Health Promotion in Africa) and the Lions Club organised an awareness-raising event on 04 and 05 February 2025 for 500 pupils from the Lycée d'Agoè on the theme of ‘Preventing diabetes and its complications in the school environment’. The aim of the event, which took place in an interactive and engaging atmosphere, was to draw their attention to the signs, risk factors and complications of diabetes, and ways of preventing the disease.

Students generally have little knowledge of diabetes. They have difficulty understanding the links between diabetes, excess weight and lifestyle.Yet these behaviours have an impact on the development of their health and on the onset of disease in adulthood. 

Raising awareness of diabetes prevention among schoolchildren is an important initiative to help them understand the risk factors and adopt healthy behaviours.

According to Dr Damien Ekoué-Kouvahey, Director of the NGO VISA, « given the alarming rate of diabetes, we need to protect future generations as quickly as possible to avoid a world full of diabetics. To this end, pupils should be encouraged to be aware of their diet, not to eat too much sugar, salt or fat, and to avoid alcohol and tobacco. They should also avoid spending too much time in front of their smartphones or watching television at weekends. But above all, it's important to get moving and be physically active ».

Satisfied with this information session, the pupils showed their interest in the subject with a series of questions.From now on, the pupils will know how to adopt good behaviour to avoid non-communicable diseases. «This awareness campaign has been very instructive. Firstly, it helped me to understand how this disease presents itself, and secondly, it made me more aware of what I eat. From now on, I'll know exactly what to say about the types of diabetes, how it manifests itself and, above all, the complications it can cause», said Adjo Gracia Segnagbeto, a pupil in the 2nd CD3 class at Agoè Centre high school.

In addition to raising awareness, the NGO VISA is organising a number of fun cultural events to help pupils with prevention.An inter-school competition (budding genius) on diabetes will be held on 27 April 2025 at the Senghor agora in Lomé.

Esther KOLANI (Intern)