Eventos del DMS 2003 - Suriname

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WHD in Suriname

WHD in Suriname was celebrated at the Public School Uitkijk together with the First Lady, Mrs. Liesbeth Venetiaan-Vaneburg, the Hon. Rakieb Khudabux Minister of Health, the Hon. Walter Sandriman, Minister of Education and Dr. Carol Vlassoff, PAHO representative in Suriname.

The celebration focused on the launching of two school projects. The objective of the first project is the improvement of the watersupply and sanitation at the Public School Uitkijk. This project will be executed by the school community: teachers, parents, pupils and with donations (in kind and monetary) from the private sector. PAHO Suriname promotes watersupply, sanitation and hygiene education at schools and provides, since 1999, technical assistance and supports hygiene education to one community per year to improve the water and sanitary condition at the school in their neighbourhood. Successful previous projects include: OS Helena Christina (2000), OS Latour (2001) and OS Tamanredjo (2002). It is customary in Suriname to highlight milestones of these projects at World Water Day and Inter-American Water Day.

The second project is the national school competition: Healthy Environments for Children: Improve your school. This competition will reward those schools which will have achieved the most improvements over the duration of the contest period. A total of 30 criteria are formulated including environmental health and safety issues formulated in the WHD brochures and poster.

The prizes consist of a monetary contribution to the further improvements of the school as described in a project proposal to be submitted by the school: 1st price US$ 1,500; 2nd price US$ 1,000 and 3rd price US$500. The financial support to the contest and the prices are donated by the larger national companies (Suralco (Bauxite), Staatsolie (National Oil Company) and Coca Cola.

WHD in Suriname was widely covered by the media in Suriname. All the national papers published pieces on World Health Day and there was an extensive piece in the evening news. Furthermore, there was a special announcement of first lady Mrs. Liesbeth Venetiaan-Vanenburg broadcast on the National Television Station Apintie.