IN GLOBAL WFP DESIGN COMPETITION
WFP Global Art Competition winner Jeric Mansat of New Kalibo Elementary School, New Kalibo, Mlang describes his artwork, showing how a little boy (whom he says is himself), if given enough food, will be able to study well and fulfill his dreams. Although only 12 years old, Jeric Mansat has been named as one of the winners in the international WFP Children's Art Competition for 2007, an annual event organized by the United Nations World Food Programme. Today he was presented with his prize – US $100 for himself, and $200 for his school to purchase stationery and art materials.
Jeric Mansat’s winning design, which used bright colours to show the transition from child participating in WFP-sponsored school feeding programme to happy graduate, was one of 13 finalists selected from a short-list of 200 drawings by primary schoolchildren in 40 different countries.
All the students are attending schools participating in WFP’s worldwide school feeding programmes, designed to both fortify the health of primary school children as well as keep them in the classroom. Participating students receive a daily, mid-morning snack of recipes from corn soya blend (CSB) enriched by 13 essential vitamins and minerals.
Jeric, who likes honest and helpful people and lists reading books and magazines as some of his hobbies, wants to be an engineer when he grows up so he can build houses for street children. He was only a 6th grade student at New Kalibo Elementary School in Mlang, Cotabato Province when he joined the competition but now attends high school in South Cotabato.
“These children are our future. It’s important to invest in them,” said Valerie Guarnieri, WFP Country Director for the Philippines, as she co-hosted today’s prize-winning ceremonies along with Cotabato Provincial Governor Jesus Sacdalan.
The theme of this year’s competition, involving both a drawing and an accompanying explanatory text, was “The Difference WFP School Meals Make To My Life”.
Five drawings exploring the theme were originally submitted to the competition judges in Rome, Italy. They were selected from more than 11 designs sketched by students from schools in the Philippines.
“All of us at WFP congratulate these young artists for creating such unique and inspiring works,” said WFP Country Director Guarnieri.
The designs from WFP’s global competition are currently being incorporated into greeting cards, calendars and agendas, all of which will soon be available for sale on WFP’s website.
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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
WFP Global School Feeding Campaign – For just 19 US cents a day, you can help WFP give children in poor countries a healthy meal at school – a gift of hope for a brighter future.
Visit our website : www.wfp.org
For more information please contact (email address:
firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Antonina Ducusin, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-2-750-2561, Cell +63-917-8803145
Aveen Acuña-Gulo, WFP/Philippines,
Tel +63-64-421-4647, Cell +63-917-880-9366
Valerie Guarnieri, WFP/Philippines,
Tel. +63-2-750-2561, Cell. +63-917-883-4413
Paul Risley, WFP/Bangkok, Tel. +66-2-6554115, Cell +66-1-7019208
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