Seventy-five senior Emirati women celebrated for walking nine million steps in wellness initiative

The Family Development Foundation honours participants in the second season of Our Mothers Challenge Walkathon, a programme designed to foster active and healthy lifestyles among older citizens

At the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, a gathering of remarkable spirit unfolded as seventy-five senior Emirati women were honoured for their participation in the second season of Our Mothers Challenge Walkathon, an initiative that has quietly become a powerful testament to resilience, community and the transformative potential of movement.

The closing ceremony, presided over by Sheikha Mouza bint Khalifa bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Ambassador for Senior Citizens Projects at PureHealth, and Her Excellency Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi, Director General of the Family Development Foundation, recognised the participants’ collective achievement of walking more than nine million steps. This figure speaks not merely to physical activity but to a deeper commitment to wellbeing and active participation in community life.

Conceived by the Family Development Foundation in partnership with PureHealth and in collaboration with ADNOC and Active Abu Dhabi, the initiative emerged from a conviction that healthy and active lifestyles strengthen both individual lives and the social fabric. The programme embodies the vision of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, whose pioneering approach to empowering senior citizens has established a national model for honouring the contributions of older Emiratis.

Sheikha Mouza bint Khalifa emphasised that the initiative represents a leading national model, one that recognises health and wellbeing as fundamental pillars of active and sustainable ageing. She spoke of the participants’ remarkable determination, describing their achievement as sending a powerful message that age is no barrier to making meaningful contributions to society. She affirmed that PureHealth views the health and wellbeing of senior citizens as a national priority and remains committed to expanding partnerships that deliver preventive, community-based initiatives promoting sustainable health.

The recognition ceremony also featured a panel discussion exploring preventive healthcare and health promotion for older citizens, a conversation that underscores the foundation’s belief that advancing health and quality of life begins with sustainable community initiatives. As the foundation has championed through earlier celebrations of Emirati women’s legacy, such programmes place people at the heart of the nation’s development agenda.

Mariam Mohammed Al Rumaithi affirmed that empowering senior citizens represents both a tribute to their lifelong contributions and an investment in the wealth of experience they carry. She praised the participating women as embodying a lifelong legacy of dedication, noting that they will continue to serve as an enduring source of inspiration through the values they embody and the wisdom they have accumulated.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

This initiative reflects Abu Dhabi’s broader commitment to building a more cohesive and sustainable society in which older citizens remain active, valued contributors to community life. The successful collaboration between government entities, healthcare providers and community organisations demonstrates the effectiveness of integrated national approaches to addressing the needs and aspirations of senior citizens.

The nine million steps walked by these women signal a cultural shift towards preventive health and active ageing, values that strengthen families and communities. By investing in programmes that enhance quality of life and foster social inclusion for older Emiratis, Abu Dhabi reinforces its position as a society that honours its past and invests meaningfully in the wellbeing of all its generations.

Source: WAM