Wednesday, 12th December 2012: Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs, Salam YaSeghar (SYS) Campaign launches SYS Photography Exhibition highlighting the SYS projects and showcasingphotographs taken by children in Palestine.
The exhibition was held at The Executive Office of Her Highness in Sharjah on Wednesday morning 12th of December 2012, and it will run for two days until Thursday 13th of December 2012.The exhibition displayed around 40 photographs. The photographs were captured by school students who took photography classes that were provided to them by SYS as part of their strategy to use modern technology and new methods in teaching. The students’photographs show the daily routine and activities of children in disadvantaged circumstances. One of the SYS projects is to improve the quality of education for school children and anotherproject is to improve Children’s food security.
Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher conducted the opening and toured the exhibition, she was provided with a brief explanation for each photograph. Her Highness commended the work of SYS campaign to relieve the pain of the children of Palestine and their families. She also expressed her joy on the success of the exhibition, its message and the touching photographs that were captured by the children.
Her Highness expressed her views and aspirations on the exhibition and SYS Campaign, she said, “I am delighted to open SYS photography Exhibition today. SYS visionand aim is for children in Palestine to live with dignity and rights enjoyed by other children around the world. My prayers are for the children of Palestine and their families always. SYS will always support the Palestinian children in need. It is our duty to create a secure environment for the children to feel safe. I am happy with the Campaign’s accomplishments and I can see its results in the photographs that were captured by young talent.”
In another statement, Mariam AlHammadi, SYS Assistant Manager said, “SYS has given the Palestinian children an opportunity to express their feelings through art and how they live through the blockade. Photography workshop was conducted for the children as part of improving the education level in Gaza and the pictures displayed in the exhibition shows how creative these children are.”
SYS Campaign projects focuses on sustainable development, so the beneficiaries of the projects are able to stand on their own feet. The first project is to improve and develop the educational system. There are around 12,000beneficiaries from the age of 6 to 12and 20 teachers were trained in different courses to learn how to use contemporary technology in teaching methods. 760 primary school students improved their educational achievements in Mathematics, Geography, English, Arabic and Science. Also, the project upgraded 5 laboratories and 7 libraries; they added extra materials like books, multimedia materials and educational toys. In addition, the students were taken on educational trips and were provided with media communication courses, which have drama-theaterand puppetry production, photography classes, and radio production training courses.
The second project which is improving children’s food security helped around 7,480 children and their families. The project established food production units by providing sustainable income. The families were given courses on animal breeding, cooking and sewing. They were able to secure an income by cooking meals and make school uniforms to sell them to kindergartens and schools so the children of those families benefit.
SYS campaign aims to support the Palestinian children to live a normal life like the rest of their peers around the world despite the political and economic conditions. SYS campaign reaches all Palestinian children (West Bank including Jerusalem, Gaza Strip and Historic Palestine) to help them overcome the difficulties and the harsh conditions. The Campaign’s mission is to urge all the members of the community to support the children of Palestine and help them to survive the blockade and live a decent life.
Her Highness was accompanied byBarbara Stocking, CEO of Oxfam GB, H.E SawsanJafar, Board Member, Founding President Board of Trustees, Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, Chairman Arab International Women’s Forum,Mariam AlHammadi SYS Assistant Manager, and othersenior managers and Executives from different organizations.
