A group of twenty women from Beit Hanina completed the pilot cohort of the Type II
Diabetes (T2D) Prevention and Proper Nutrition Program, part of Athar (Arabic for
influence), JICC’s health programs in East Jerusalem. The eight-session course provided
participants with the knowledge, skills and agency to take charge of their health. The
program seeds neighborhood mothers’ groups to learn about how to prevent and manage
T2D, which is widely prevalent in East Jerusalem. The women cover a range of topics
including nutrition, fitness, mental health, chronic illnesses and legal health rights. There is
potential for intergenerational change as young mothers can influence their children and
families as well as motivate their social networks. The participants become ambassadors
within their families and communities in promoting health.
The sessions meld theoretical knowledge and experiential components. For instance, the
participants learned to measure blood sugar during a session on the management of
diabetes. They practiced breathing exercises in a session on mental health. During a
workshop on nutrition, they prepared a shopping list and planned a balanced meal. Another
core component of this program is for the women to learn the health services to which they
are legally entitled to utilize. Women learn to access their rights themselves and own the
process as much as possible by filling out forms, obtaining and uploading documents on
their own.
Women shared how they are already using their new knowledge: “I’m now working on
incorporating regular consumption of vegetables and fruits and home cooking. I reduced the
use of oils during cooking and turned to healthier cooking methods. I pay more attention to
food labels and sugar content, and this impacts my family and my children.”
Another woman shared: “Before participating in the program, I always started my day with
coffee that contained sugar. Now, I start the day without any sugar at all. I changed my
unhealthy eating habits, encouraged my family to adopt a healthy lifestyle, and understood
the disease of diabetes and all its health complications.”