First Lady Fazna Ahmed has today officially launched the "Superkids Challenge", a series of challenges aimed at providing children fun and educational activities that facilitate learning and spending quality with their parents and caretakers. Organised by the Moms Offering Moms Support (MOMS) non-governmental organisation (NGO), the ceremony was held late this afternoon at Maagiri Hotel in Malé City.
Speaking at the launching ceremony, First Lady Fazna acknowledged the work undertaken by the MOMS NGO, stating that the three main objectives of the NGO, namely women's empowerment, mental wellbeing of women and children and raising voices against child abuse and sexual violence against women, are key concerns of the nation. She extended her appreciation for their initiatives to improve the lives of women and children.
The First Lady commended the NGO for initiating the first round of the Superkids Challenges last Ramadan, during the Covid-19 pandemic, to help children to stay engaged during the lockdown period. She also stated that she was delighted to see Kindness included as one of the challenges this time, as kindness, love and empathy are crucial skills for every child. A theme like kindness in every challenge is helpful to develop their affective domain. Speaking further, the First Lady urged parents to allowed kids to do the challenges by themselves and parents to take a supportive role.
On the importance giving children free time, she underlined the importance of balancing free time and scheduled activities. This according to her would give children time to reflect on the day's events, process their emotions and also dream about their future.
Sharing anecdotes from her time as a teacher and drawing on her own experiences as a mother, the First Lady advised parents to help develop decision-making skills early by allowing their children to choose and prioritise activities themselves and use their free time productively.
She also urged parents to be more involved when spending quality time with their children. In this regard she mentioned that planning for free time and doing activities together is a great way to connect with the child.
The First Lady was joined at the launching ceremony by the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof.
Initiated in 2016, MOMS is one of the largest NGOs in the country offering support to women and children, with over 37,000 members and a presence in over 100 islands in the Maldives. The three Superkids Challenge launched today, for children of different ages, are the Kindness Challenge, aimed at increasing children's empathy and caring for others, the Football Challenge for children interested in sports, and the Happy Planet Challenge to teach children the importance of caring for the environment. Each challenge, or activity pack, contains a booklet of activities, a certificate and a themed medal. Sales from the Superkids Challenge go towards charity programmes conducted by the MOMS NGO.
