AWARD WINNING PROGRAM, ALAM SIMSIM, TO RECOGNIZE FIRST LADY SUZANNE MUBARAK’S SUPPORT
Cairo, 14 April 2007
Alkarma Edutainment and Sesame Workshop, the producers of Alam Simsim are presenting First Lady Suzanne Mubarak with the Sesame Workshop Pioneer Award in recognition of her strong support for the program since its inception in 1997. The award ceremony will be incorporated into Alam Simsim’s 10th anniversary celebration. A two-day seminar will also accompany the celebration with a panel of both local and international experts addressing how best to continue the Alam Simsim positive impact on Egypt’s children.
The First Lady Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak is the first International personality to receive this award to honor figures throughout the world who have dedicated their life’s work to the betterment of children and their families.
Alam Simsim is co-produced in Egypt by Alkarma Edutainment, the Cairo-based leading provider of educational entertainment media programs in the Arab world, and Sesame Workshop, a non-profit global organization with a mission to harness the power of media to help children around the world to reach their highest potential.
“As we celebrate 10 years of Alam Simsim, I think it is very important that we look at the ways we can build on our successes,” says Alkarma Edutainment Chairman Amr Koura. “Alam Simsim has proven that the media is a powerful educational tool and I’m confident that the next ten years will be as good as the first ten years.”
Alam Simsim incorporates an innovative curriculum created by Egyptian educators, child development experts, scriptwriters, and filmmakers to encourage children to develop positive self-esteem and self-image, to respect and appreciate others, to celebrate Egyptian culture, and to encourage a life-long love of learning.
“We are very proud of Alam Simsim’s achievements and the number of children we have been able to reach with important educational messages through this program,” Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop said. “It is thanks to the Ministries of Education and Information, the United States Agency for International Development and above all the unwavering support of First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, that we have reached this milestone.”
Dr. Kenneth Ellis, USAID Egypt Director, expressed his pleasure at the organization’s support of Alam Simsim, “Really, it has been an honor to be part of the team that has made this amazing program possible. We are extremely proud of our involvement up to this point and look forward to the continuing success of Alam Simsim over the coming years.”
The reception and award ceremony will be held on April 22, 2007 at the Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza hotel in Garden City.
The two-day seminar following the reception, will be attended by prominent members of national and multi-national businesses, broadcast media, government, non-government, early childhood education, and donor organizations. The seminar will reveal research findings about the Alam Simsim content and will also explore different ways of engaging members of the private, public, NGO, and broadcast sectors to form Public Private Partnerships which will help sustain the initiative for years to come.
Targeted to preschoolers, the Alam Simsim lessons, which have focused on health, hygiene and girls’ education, are illustrated through humor, music, and daily life situations. Co-produced by Alkarma Edutainment and Sesame Workshop, Alam Simsim has been produced in Cairo, Egypt since 1997.
Alam Simsim is produced in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, which helps maintain the educational content of the show, and the Ministry of Information, which supports the series by facilitating broadcast on Egyptian television. Funding for the series has been provided by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development through the Ministry of Education and under the Ministry’s supervision.
About Alkarma Edutainment
Alkarma Edutainment is the leading provider of educational entertainment media programs in the Arab World. With headquarters in Cairo and offices in Beirut and Dubai, Alkarma Edutainment offers services in a diverse range of media production categories, such as content formulation, production, broadcasting, marketing, merchandising and community outreach. The company was first created specifically to produce Alam Simsim, Egypt’s co-production of the children’s educational show, Sesame Street. It then attracted international attention for its professional, innovative work in edutainment, including achievements in community outreach and merchandizing support as well as broadcast production. Its members bring 20 years of experience in media communications to their tasks. Alkarma Edutainment’s strong alliances with major broadcasters and multinational corporations in the Arab world have secured its effectiveness and influence.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a non-profit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of its products back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at www.sesameworkshop.org.
About USAID
USAID is an independent agency that has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years. In Egypt, U.S. economic assistance has directly raised the quality of life for millions of Egyptian citizens. Egypt’s fundamental development challenges are addressed through USAID-funded programs that focus on Economic growth including environment and antiquities; Education, including workforce development; Health, including family planning, infectious disease surveillance and response; Infrastructure, including water and wastewater, electric power, and telecommunications, and Democracy and governance including the administration of justice, Egyptian NGOs and Citizen participation and institutions. U.S. economic assistance to Egypt through the United States Agency for International Development has totaled $28.06 billion since 1975, with another $455 million in spending budgeted for 2007.
Contact
Adel Elbendary
Fourth Dimension Public Relations (LLC)
14 Syria st., Mohandseen 12411, Cairo, Egypt
Mobile: (2) 012 212 3462
Tel: (202) 760 9988
Fax: (202) 762 3093
Email: adel@fdpr.net
Tarek Amin
Managing Director
alkarma edutainment
6 Ibn Miyasser St. Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt
Tel: (202) 737-6767 / 6464
Fax: (202) 735-4167
Email: press@alkarma.com
