Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 8:01 p.m.
Essaouira – The Essaouira indoor hall hosted, on Saturday, the second edition of the international “baby race” competition, a unique event dedicated to promoting the well-being of infants and the inclusion of toddlers in fun activities adapted to their young age.
Organized on the occasion of the celebration of the 49th anniversary of the Glorious Green March and Independence Day, this event, unique of its kind on a continental and Arab scale, aims to raise public awareness of importance of care and cognitive stimulation during the first 1,000 days of children’s lives.
Initiated by the Media, Training and Technological Development Center of Essaouira, in partnership with the prefecture of the province of Essaouira, the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), the provincial delegation of Health and Social protection and other institutional partners, this sporting event is part of an approach aimed at highlighting the crucial importance of early childhood in the overall development of cherubs, by promoting their social, physical and cognitive skills.
In front of a packed house with more than 1,000 spectators, including families, children and local personalities, around forty infants took part in this unique competition.
Parents, competing in ingenuity and creativity, used various objects, such as toys, cell phones, colorful balloons and other accessories, to encourage their children to crawl to the finish line, all in an atmosphere full of joy, enthusiasm and tenderness.
At the end of this competition, which took place in three successive rounds during which the babies competed in captivating races, three infants stood out for their determination and speed, thus winning the first places on the podium.
A festive ceremony to award medals and symbolic rewards was organized at the end of the events to celebrate the performance of these “champions of innocence”, to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd.
In a statement to MAP on this occasion, the provincial delegate of Health and Social Protection, Zakaria Aït Lahcen, stressed that this unprecedented sporting event is fully within the framework of the objectives of the national awareness campaign. importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, launched last May by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, in partnership with the INDH.
In this vein, he noted that the first 1,000 days of life constitute a critical period in the development of the child, where the foundations of his future health and well-being are established, noting that this period is decisive for cognitive stimulation and the physical and emotional development of the child.
“This competition offers a valuable opportunity to encourage infants to interact with their environment, while being an innovative approach to optimally stimulate the development of the child’s nervous system, particularly crucial during the first stages of growth. ”, explained Mr. Aït Lahcen.
For his part, Youssef El Mourih, president of the Center organizing the event, highlighted the importance of this initiative, specifying that the main objective of the competition is to raise public awareness of the importance of investment. in early childhood.
In a similar statement, Mr. El Mourih expressed his pride in seeing such an event take shape in Essaouira, noting that it is “a moment which not only allows us to celebrate the development of children, but also to promote the inclusion of all categories of children, including those with disabilities”.
Approached by the MAP, parents praised this unique initiative, welcoming its role in strengthening family ties and highlighting the importance of the first years of children’s lives.
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