This year WHO Jordan has chosen to run its event with the theme “Syrian, Palestinian, Jordanian – whatever your nationality: we all need to be healthy. Draw your favourite person, thing or moment in hospital”.
“The art competition is a chance for children in the hospitals – patients in wards, as well as those attending for check-ups and routine visits, to reflect on health and why it is important,” said WHO Representative in Jordan Dr Basel Al-Yousfi.
“It also encourages children to also think about refugee issues and the universality of health – we all need it,” he said.
Although the umbrella theme for the event is World Refugee Day, organizers have opened the competition up to children of all nationalities, so as not to exclude interested youngsters from participating.
“We have targeted some of the hospitals that are servicing the highest proportions of Syrian refugees in-country,” said Mary Sweidan, WHO Jordan’s national technical officer.
“However, we would like children of all nationalities to engage and share in this activity,” she said.
In past years WHO Jordan has participated in UNHCR activities held in Amman for World Refugee Day. For 2014, UN agencies and NGOs are staging a multitude of events in camp and urban settings including football matches, kite making, puppet shows, Syrian homemade wares sales, poetry readings and folk dancing.
A special launch of the art competition took place in Gynecology, Obstetrics and Children’s Hospital, Mafraq on 22 June. WHO is supplying iPads for first place prizes in each of the hospitals, which will be awarded two weeks after the competition.
