BMW importer supports save water campaign with exclusive event for children

Over 50 primary school students from four different schools took part in the event which was held as part of the Save Water - UAE Children's Painting Competition 2008 to generate awareness about the looming water Crisis.

Mamdouh Khairallah, Regional Manager, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, AGMC - BMW Importer, said:

"The UAE Children's Painting Competition is an environmental initiative having a big impact on kids. It is not just another painting contest. It is about kids thinking as responsible citizens. This is the third consecutive year that AGMC is sponsoring this unique awareness campaign, a demonstration of our commitment to developing our children's awareness for preserving the ecosystem and conserving our resources. We want to support the future generation's pledge to help protect the environment and save water and to create a better future for our children."

It was interesting to see the kids create the paintings. Gulam Sajjad, Sales Manager, Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah, said, 'Each year the children come up with a greater awareness of what our personal actions can mean for the environment. In fact, we are constantly surprised by how aware the kids are about the importance of living responsibly. I also think some of the credit goes to the schools, since they are doing a good job teaching kids about environmental issues.'

Louis Hakim, CEO, Philips Middle East, said: 'We are delighted to support Save Water project. Sustainability is how we do business. We have long been integrating economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity with a clear view of sustainable value creation. We seek sustainable innovations to improve people's lives in all markets and thereby contributing to development.'

The participants were drawn from 4 well-known schools in Sharjah: Wesgreen International School, Al Mawahib Private School, Happy Home English School and Al Estiqlal Private School.

Ola Salem, Art Teacher from Al Estiqlal Private School said, 'I must say this art project is very thoughtfully designed and extremely stimulating. It requires children to think about ways of saving water and how they could paint those.'

Shahida Khaleq, Teacher from Wesgreen International School said, 'It was an opportunity for children to analyze, organize and express their experiences. Save Water campaign is really about kids looking closely at their own environment. As adults we have to live by example because kids learn by watching what we do and even the smallest efforts like Save Water can help'.

A special presentation highlighted the perils of wasting water. It also showed the children the steps they can take for the environment by cutting down on the wastage of water. All kids remained focused as the presentation was done in a very child-friendly and interactive manner.

MPJ - Marketing Pro-Junction has been entrusted with running the competition in the UAE. Hina Bakht, Vice President, MPJ, said: 'We feel proud to be part of this wonderful initiative. Each one of us can have an immediate impact on the environment, and if enough of us act together in these minor ways, the cumulative effect will be dramatic. That's because so much of the way we live our lives is wasteful, and to put it bluntly, thoughtless. It takes nothing to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, take a shorter shower instead of a bath, skip the pre-wash part of the dishwasher cycle or use a bucket to wash your car.'

The children showed outstanding creativity and involvement and used different media ranging from water colours to crayons and colour pencils. The richness of colours and the abundance of ideas in the paintings were truly incredible.

Their little efforts were met with enthusiastic praise. The assessment of the amazing paintings proved a daunting task for the organizers. Each of the participants was a winner. Philips gave a special prize that included a Juicer & MP3 Player. The winners were Layla Taher from Al Estiqlal Private School and Syed Ali Rehan Jaffery from Wesgreen International SchoolAGMC - BMW gave away the first three prizes. Aruba Ayub and Usmana Munawar from Happy Home English School and Naga Karim from Al Mawahib Private School were announced the winners. All the works will be included in the UAE Children's Painting Competition 2008.

Aside from the contest, there was plenty of fun lined up for kids including a fem trip around the beautiful AGMC showroom with a close look at the stunning cars. Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah took good care of everybody with their delicious refreshments.