Umniah Sponsors 5 Public Schools through RHAS Schools Program and Promotes Healthy Practices Among 4,376 Students & 9 Teachers

January 31, 2021 – Amman, Jordan: Naua, an initiative launched by the Crown Prince Foundation, has issued its annual report that this year chose to highlight a citizenship action theme for its Healthy Schools Program, which is implemented by the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS). In the report, Naua singled out Umniah’s support to 5 public schools in Zarqa and Irbid, as well as its contributions to healthy living, which reached approximately 4,400 students and teachers, advancing the ideals of a heathier and safer learning environment.

According to the report, 1258 students from the Co-Ed Hashemite Community Elementary School, 1098 students in Fatima Bint Al-Khattab Secondary school, 1027 students in Nahawand Co-Ed Elementary School, 754 in Al-Hashimiyeh Secondary Co-Ed school, and 239 students from Jamha Elementary School for Girls have directly benefitted from the Healthy Schools Program.

At the beginning of 2020, Umniah held a press conference at Hashimiyeh Co-Ed School in Zarqa to announce its sponsorship of five public schools in Zarqa and Irbid, as part of its backing of the Healthy School Program, which kicked off in September 2019. The program, which is an integral part of the Royal Health Awareness Society’s initiatives, works to institute a healthier environment in the Kingdom’s schools through the advancement of wholesome practices among the students that encourage them to adopt behaviors and habits that will reflect positively on their physical, social and educational growth.

The report also highlighted the program’s main achievements for the 2019-2020 scholastic year, which saw RHAS team digitizing health awareness messages on a monthly basis, with a Microsoft Teams group set up for the bronze, silver and gold levels for a more convenient way to share content and follow-up activities electronically. WhatsApp and Facebook groups were also created for the interactive health awareness messages and as a platform for schools to share their unique experiences and achievements.

Commenting on these achievements, Umniah CEO Ziad Shatara said that the success of the program is a reflection of efforts by both the company and RHAS to support the educational sector by making learning environments safer and healthier, which helps students perform better in school. Shatara went on to add that the objectives of the program are directly in line with Umniah’s corporate social responsibility program, which falls under the umbrella of the company’s Umniah Al Khair initiative, and include the advancement of an erudite, healthy and accomplished generation. This will, in turn, have a positive influence on their futures as well as their communities. He added that healthy schools support the development of critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, cooperation, self-confidence and leadership among students. The CEO of Umniah also spoke of the exceptional efforts by RHAS, as well as the students in the five schools, who wholeheartedly worked to attain the goals set forth by the program.

Royal Health Awareness Society Director General, Hanin Odeh spoke of her heartfelt appreciation for Umniah’s efforts and initiatives that work towards furthering the cause of education in the Kingdom. She added that RHAS team, as part of the implementation of the Health Schools Program, responded to preventative measures imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic by taking its Towards Healthy, Safe Schools program virtual. The team implemented training programs in September exclusively for school principals and teachers in the targeted schools, providing them with guidance and an updated plan for the program. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, health guidelines for the schools was modified and health protocols were established for school in light of the pandemic. According to Odeh, with support from Umniah, RHAS team held a two-day seminars in November for public schools to further knowledge and understanding of health guidelines, train the staff, develop work plans, as well as how to best translate all this information to further the program.

Naua CEO Ahmad El-Zubi thanked Umniah and RHAS for their work to improve the school environment, both before and during the coronavirus pandemic, by promoting healthy lifestyles that will have a positive impact on their physical, social and educational development.

The Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS), which was established in 2005 upon the directive of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdallah, works to further health awareness and empower local communities to adopt healthy behaviors. It implements developmental programs catered to the needs of local communities and that are in line with the national healthcare priorities, including the Healthy Schools Program, Think First!, the Productive Kitchen, the Community Health Clinic and Shababuna (Our Youth).