World Humanitarian day |19 August 2023

Some of the activities organised yesterday to mark World Humanitarian day (Photos: Contributed)

Seychelles host activities to honour this year’s slogan, ‘It takes a village’

Seychelles joins the rest of the world today to commemorate World Humanitarian day.

Designated by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to be observed on August 19 annually; the day when 22 UN colleagues were killed at the United Nations office in Baghdad, Iraq, World Humanitarian day is an opportunity to pay tribute to colleagues who have lost their lives in humanitarian service and to honour the thousands of aid workers, providing much-needed support to people suffering from conflicts or disasters worldwide.

The annual observance takes place at the world humanitarian capital, Palais des Nations, Geneva Switzerland, but member countries host several activities to honour the day. This year’s theme is ‘The Human Race’ with the slogan, ‘It takes a village’; a theme aimed at bringing partners from across humanitarian system together.

In Seychelles, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs planned a series of activities yesterday and those will continue today.

The ministry said the slogan is well suited for them as they are dedicated to promoting active citizen involvement and bringing communities together.

Some 15 districts are hosting activities for their communities. Yesterday the Anse Royale Home for the Elderly brought the older citizens and the younger ones together in an event dubbed ‘Romans Kafe’, where the older generation shared their knowledge and interacted with the youngsters.

In Mont Fleuri, the district team handed over hampers to five individuals battling cancer. The ministry said the act of benevolence was to illustrate the community's solidarity and commitment to standing by those individuals in their time of need.

For their part, a group of people from Les Mamelles district partnered with the Seychelles National Youth Council to host a half-day event at the Foyer de la Solitude in La Misère where they talked about values and shared lunch with the children residing in the orphanage.

The English River district hosted its first book fair, where people were able to select any book of their choice for free.

Today’s events include clean-up exercise at two houses in Pointe Larue by the district’s emergency brigade and painting of the Baie Ste Anne primary school.

Patsy Canaya