CAIRO: In a moving speech, Alexandrian 13-year-old Ibrahim Khaled thanked those who helped him win one of the 2008 global art competition administered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). Khaled was presented with an individual prize of LE 552 as well an extra LE 1,104 given to his school to purchase stationary and art materials. "I thank all those who helped me learn a new thing and encouraged me to participate in this competition and win the award, said Khaled, who attends a one-classroom "friendly school designed for children at risk in Alexandria. He also thanked the WFP for helping those in need around the world. Khaled's winning colorful illustration of farmers carrying packages of food with WFP's logo on them was one of 13 final drawings selected from 155 submissions on the theme "the difference WFP school meals make to my life. Primary school children submitted drawings from 31 countries participating in WFP's school feeding program. Deputy country director of the Egyptian office for WFP, Ayoub Aljaloudi commented on how the drawings reflected what the children felt about the WFP and just how much it had truly helped the children. "The drawings show how the meals served at these schools have made it easier for them to come to school and they are happy and thankful for this, Aljaloudi said. The deputy country director also stated that something as small as meals served in schools can really make a difference for the children and give them something to focus on. "The children live in poverty and they are vulnerable. A competition like this gives them something positive and challenging to concentrate on in their lives, he said. More than 80,000 Egyptian children will benefit from the school feeding program this year. The program is designed to not only enhance the health of primary school children but also to increase enrolment in classrooms. "We found that if meals are served in schools then the attendance significantly rises, so in this way we are solving short term hunger problems as well as raising attendance in schools, Aljaloudi said. The children are given daily mid-morning snacks of biscuits and fortified and vital vitamins and minerals to keep them healthy. "All of us at WFP congratulate these young artists for their unique and inspiring creativity, stated WFP Country Director Gianpietro Bordignon, along with with Mr Amin Abu Bakr, Director of Basic Education, Ministry of Education; and Mr Hany Mouris, project manager of a school supported by the NGO Caritas, co-hosted the prize-winning ceremony. The WFP county director also commented that children were "the champions of the future.
