PAHO Announces Winners of Centennial Poster, Essay Contests

Washington, June 27, 2002 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today announced that a 10-year old Jamaican girl and a 17-year-old Peruvian boy are the winners of PAHO Centennial contests for best poster and essay, respectively. The prizes for each winner are $500 cash from PAHO, a computer from Discovery Health and a certificate signed by Dr. George Alleyne, Director of PAHO. Winners were announced at a meeting of PAHO's Executive Committee, which the Ministers of Health from both winning countries are attending.

The Pan American Centennial Poster Contest was won by Reeshemah Ball, age 10, from St. Catherine, Jamaica. Her poster, entitled Healthy Living, shows an apple with images of people engaging in healthy behaviors. A student at Independent City Primary School in Portmore, Reeshemah's favorite subjects are math, reading and drawing. Jamaica's Health Minister, the Hon. John A. Junor, said, "I'm delighted that this competition has been won by a Jamaican youngster. It's a reflection of the fact that we have been carrying out an effective campaign with our health promotion efforts."

The Pan American Centennial Essay Contest was won by Róger Flores López, age 17, of Comas, Peru for his essay entitled Unidos por la Salud (United for Health). His essay tells a story of a humble shoemaker in a shantytown who unites his community to build a health post and water and sewer lines, using the ancient Inca concept of "minca," in which groups of villagers work together for a collective goal. Flores López studies industrial electronics and lives with his parents in the "Amistad Unida" settlement in Comas, north of Lima. Peruvian Minister of Health Dr. Fernando Carbone said, "This young man expresses our conviction that in health as in development we are disposed to work toward the future, starting from the present but not forgetting the past."

Dr. Alleyne said, "It was gratifying to see the response to these contests throughout the Americas and I congratulate the winners. It was a pleasure to see how so many young people could capture in pictures and words many of the essential concepts of what is meant by a healthy life. Let us hope that they not only write or paint it but will live it and convince others to do so as well!"

"Discovery Health was proud to contribute to this far-reaching initiative to help raise awareness of important public health issues," said Ariella Midolo, Network Group Director, Discovery Health. "Through this contest, PAHO provided hundreds of children like Reeshemah and Róger with the opportunity to express their thoughts and hopes regarding issues of health and well-being in their communities."

The judges for the essay contest included Nelle Temple Brown, Information and External Relations Officer for the World Health Organization's Washington, D.C. office; Roger Hamilton, Editor, IDBAmerica, Inter American Development Bank; and James Kiernan, Editor, Americas Magazine, Organization of American States. For the poster contest, judges were Felix Angel, Curator, Cultural Arts Center, Inter American Development Bank; Melissa Levine, Visiting Curator/Manager, World Bank Arts Program, The World Bank, and Sandra Kowalchek, Manager, Public Affairs and Project Development, Discovery Networks International.

The contest is one of numerous activities underway to mark the Centennial year of PAHO. Participants in 18 countries submitted posters, and 13 countries submitted essay entries. Contest winners were selected from the national contest winners. Since the start of the year, all the countries of the Americas have launched various events to mark the Centennial.

PAHO, which was founded in 1902, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and raise the living standards of their peoples. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.

Discovery Health Channel is designed with empowerment in mind, providing viewers with the tools to lead healthier, more vigorous lives, featuring the latest medical breakthroughs in the growing fields of health, nutrition and fitness. In addition the Discovery Health Online websites http://www.salud.discovery.com, http://www.saude.discovery.com offer opportunities for consumers to extend their Discovery Health experience with interactive, useful and relevant health information. Discovery Networks Latin America/Iberia, the Miami-based unit of Discovery Communications, Inc., brings the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiences of Latin America, the Caribbean and the Iberian peninsula, Discovery's award-winning entertainment from the world's leading producer of real-world programming. Available 24 hours a day via multiple feeds, the company's networks include Discovery Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Health, Discovery Travel & Adventure, Animal Planet, People + Arts, the latter two are a product of a joint venture with BBC Worldwide Ltd.

For more information, please contact: Daniel Epstein, Office of Public Information, (202) 974-3459, e-mail: epsteind@paho.org.