Lakshmi Kothaneth
@lakshmioman
The registration has begun for Oman Cancer Association’s virtual walkathon, which is going international this year due to its new digital platform.
The walkathon will begin on Friday at midnight and continue until Sunday midnight completing a session of 48 hours. The walk would take about one and a half hours.
“During this walkathon, there are many things people will learn about the Oman Cancer Association and touristic sites of Oman. Through this, we hope we will be supporting our country in explaining to everyone who joins us that there is a fantastic opportunity to come to Oman and enjoy once they travel,” said Dr Waheed al Kharousi, Secretary-General, Oman Cancer Association.
The registration application form is in two languages - Arabic and English. If there is any query, a call centre has been set up at OCA to answer questions and help people register online. The registration is free, but one can purchase OCA masks and a T-shirt.
“We have developed this highly technical and interactive platform, and initially we were coordinating with a prominent international social media platform, but we realised our young participants would be exposed to advertisements as the social media platform had the right to sell advertisements, and we did not wish to do that so we diverted and started the process all over again to protect our children. Close to 300 people have registered so far, and some of them are from outside Oman. We hope to see it reach 10,000. Our platform can handle as many numbers as possible. The Omani company Cosmic Surrounding for Business (CSB) has been working with us hand in hand for the last six months,” Dr Waheed said.
The primary objective of the walkathon is advocacy and creating awareness amongst the young people on cancer.
“From their childhood, the term ‘cancer’ is a normal word. Unlike before, we started the awareness campaigns where we could not even mention the word cancer as people would get offended with us,” reflected Dr Waheed.
“This is an interactive platform, and we have added some treasure hunts. We have incorporated several activities exploring Oman oceans, Oman deserts, and football challenge with Ali al Habsi and many more. Additionally, you can explore the fitness area with Zumba, yoga, meditation, nutrition etc. The Nakhal Fort is an important feature because this is where on the platform you will have access to the archives of OCA and get to know the Association better,” explained Fathi al Riyami, CEO of Cosmic Surrounding for Business specialising in creating digital solutions that stimulate productivity and engagement with interactive applications and tools for business and education.
The inspiration in the platform's design was Oman, Fathi pointed out, “We wanted to showcase Oman and show regionally and internationally what Oman has to offer adding with it OCA’s objective to spread awareness on cancer and walk to stay healthy and to be aware.”
The platform in the future can also be adapted to conduct conferences and other events.
“This virtual walkathon is a trial, and we can fine-tune it so that we are ready for the annual October/November walkathon culminating with the global breast cancer initiative. So please join us and do provide us with your feedback,” urged Dr Waheed.
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