Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com
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Written By: Observer Staff
Article Date: May 17, 2008 - 2:08:09 AM
Saving the lives of children in the first five years is no longer an exclusive domain of health professionals, said UNICEF’s Chief of Communication and Advocacy Naseem-ur-Rehman in his concluding remarks at a Workshop on Role of Media in Child Survival held in Ibb governorate last Sunday.
“The media can play a big role in saving the lives of children by getting across simple messages that are crucial to save children from diarrhea, malnutrition and easily preventable diseases,” said ur-Rehman.
Ur-Rehman, at the end of the session, concluding the workshop, said that media is one of the many social and cultural institutions charged with the responsibility of providing information and knowledge on how to take care of children, protect them and above all to save them from disease and death.
This media workshop brought together over 60 journalists and radio producers for a two-day workshop that provided a rare opportunity to local journalists to take part in focus group discussions with health professionals and UNICEF team. Media representatives indulged in interesting dialogue to grasp the effectiveness of major factors such as immunization, nutrition, maternal health, safe drinking water, sanitation and poverty. Many countries across the world facing the same problems have drastically curtailed their child mortality rates by adopting primary health care approaches, said Naseem-ur-Rehman. The media in Yemen urgently needs to shift its attention from projection of problems and bad news to a solution-oriented reporting.
This media workshop is part of the UNICEF endeavors to better connect journalists with child survival issues. The focus is to build the capacity of journalists and encourage interest in reporting on specific factors that have a disastrous effect on the lives of children in the early years. This is a series of media workshop organized by UNICEF with the support of the Yemeni governorate offices and the Department of Information and Health in al-Houdiedah, Aden and Ibb. It aims to motivate media to bring the views of children, young people and parents from villages and districts in rural to the national debate.
The Governor of Ibb, Ali Bin Ali al-Qaisi addressing the workshop lauded UNICEF contributions devoted to improving the child health and nutrition, safe drinking water, basic education and protection of children. The local artists presented a lively drama on the situation of children driving home compassionate concern for children. A group of students from the al-Thawra School rendered the messages on child rights in a song that drew great applause form the audience.