On 7 November, a Kids and Diabetes in Schools (KiDS) training session for teachers and school staff, organised by Sanofi, the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare and National Education, Preschool and Sports, took place in Rabat, Morocco.

This event follows the signing of a framework partnership agreement between Sanofi, the Ministries of Health and Social Welfare and National Education, Preschool and Sports in Morocco.

The training welcomed 70 participants who attended lectures by leading regional diabetologists on diabetes management, healthy lifestyles and nutrition. A presentation of the “KiDS Toolkit” introduced the needs of students with type 1 diabetes and the importance of eliminating stigma in the school environment. Participants also received training to recognise the clinical signs of type 1 diabetes and how to manage emergencies.

Marking a significant step in expanding the KiDS programme in the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) MENA region, these sessions set the groundwork for two KiDS pilot projects for diabetes education in schools. These projects will carry out 65 sessions in Arabic and 65 in French to reach an estimated 60 teachers and 2238 students in four schools in rural and urban areas of Kentira and Temera.

In the IDF MENA region, Morocco, along with Algeria, Egypt and Bahrain, have a government initiative or policy that requires schools to include diabetes education in their curricula. Currently, the policy is not implemented in all schools in Morocco. However, after the pilot projects, KiDS will be extended to schools throughout the country.

Figures released by the IDF in 2021 indicate that over 2.3 million people live with diabetes in Morocco, and 43,000 people under the age of 19 live with type 1 diabetes. The total number of people living with diabetes is expected to increase to over 3.5 million by 2045.