EWS-WWF complete successful outreach programme promotes understanding of UAE natural environment

The series of family fun days, created to promote a new 'online' and 'interactive' version of the highly successful schools environmental education programme 'Interactive Enviro-Spellathon', were completed this weekend at Ibn Battuta Mall and the impact has been staggering.

Rashmi De Roy, EWS-WWF explained, "With over 174,000 hits during the month of January alone from people living in the UAE visiting the Interactive Enviro-Spellathon website www.envirospellathon.com, a marked increase over previous months, there is no doubt that the promotion in malls have had an impact in addition to being fun-filled days."

"Over the last month we've spoken to thousands of children across the UAE and given them the chance to try our latest programme which is designed to educate school children by increasing their knowledge and awareness of the rich natural habitat of the UAE as well as local and global conservation issues," he added "onsidering the traffic on the programme's interactive website, and the interest among people we spoke to and met during the promotions, there is no doubt the appetite of young people to learn about and protect the environment definitely exists and will be nurtured through the programme."

It's an important point not lost on two of the programme's financial partners, the Emirates Foundation and Géant/Le Marché. With the final promotion taking place outside the Géant store at Ibn Battuta, Gabriel de Andrade, Country Head (UAE) of Géant/Le Marché enthused, "It's fantastic to see a demonstration of our support take place in the mall especially when you see the reaction of the young children when they meet the programmes' characters and play on the online resource. Environmental education at a young age is vital, as it's imperative to inform the next generation about environmental issues in order for them to take action. Géant/Le Marché is delighted at the response to the mall initiative."

Peter Cleaves, CEO, Emirates Foundation reflected followed the promotion at Ibn Battuta, "The recent findings of the survey justify our involvement and stress the need for the Interactive Enviro-Spellathon to have a genuine, long-lasting impact. It's great to see the Emirates Wildlife Society - WWF proactively go into the community to try and make a marked difference and improve knowledge and awareness. The Emirates Foundation is a proud financial partner and we would encourage all teachers and parents to get involved as it is a hugely significant educational resource unique to the UAE."

The whole concept has been designed to maximise learning, enjoyment and ease of use with the children following the life of the main character 'Hamad' and his family as he explores the natural habitat with a lively mix of exotic sounds and colourful images. Importantly the programme includes dedicated sections on topics such as caring for valuable resources like water, and knowing how to manage waste, so all the fun activities relate to serious issues.

Rashmi added, "For those who missed out on the mall promotions, Arabic and English versions with helpful resources are available on the internet, creating the opportunity for the environment to be discussed at home. There literally is something for all ages and levels with hours of fun and learning waiting to be discovered. I'd encourage everyone to go online and try it at www.envirospellathon.com. In the UAE we have a rich heritage of plant and animal life to be proud of, so let's enjoy it, share it and protect it."