Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) recently hosted an event where the marvelous winners of the Young Author Award were honored in the presence of several dignitaries.
YOUNG AUTHOR AWARD
The competition, held for children aged 11-15 years old strives to raise awareness about the significance of adopting healthy lifestyles and encouraging a culture of healthy diet and physical activity at a young age, which would help reduce obesity and other related diseases, including diabetes.
The also seeks to inspire children to write awareness stories to motivate their peers to embrace the culture of healthy food and physical activity, by delivering the message in a more coherent, uncomplicated and straightforward style.
The ceremony which was held at the ministry premises in Dubai, witnessed the presence of Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector, along with representatives of the partners in the competition from the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Community Development (MOCD), the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and the Fun Box in Sharjah.
The goal of the Young Author competition is to increase children’s awareness of healthy lifestyles and invest their talents to promote health concepts in an innovative way.
Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand observed.
Dr. Al Rand further added that the initiative is part of the Ministry’s directives to promote healthy lifestyles and deliver comprehensive and integrated health care in innovative and sustainable ways to help prevent societal diseases.
“It also aids the ministry’s and partners’ efforts in the fight against non-communicable diseases, such as childhood obesity,” the Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector remarked.
Dr. Al Rand emphasized that the UAE Reading Month strives to build an educated society capable of driving the country’s development process by supporting and strengthening the role of families and institutions in instilling a love of reading in children and highlighting its importance in early childhood development.
The Public Health Sector Official highlighted that the Ministry is a leading government entity in supporting the national reading strategy through a variety of initiatives, including the “My First Book” campaign, which was developed in cooperation with the “Kalimat” group. The ministry also won the Best Federal Initiative Award for Early Childhood Reading Program.
YOUNG AUTHOR COMPETITION
The 1st Phase of the Young Author Competition which commenced in June 2021 drew close to 302 children from various nationalities with eleven children later being declared as winners.
The winning pieces will be published in a special booklet, with 5 copies printed, in addition to receiving financial rewards.