Advocating the Rights of Children (ARC) has celebrated the World Health Day with an expansion of its Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyles (HEAL) Campaign. At an event held today at Kangaroo Kids Preschool, ARC launched its HEAL Campaign Resource Guide for Teachers, which was developed with the assistance of UNICEF. The HEAL Campaign Resource Guide is designed to help teachers get preschoolers on track to healthy eating habits and active lifestyles from early childhood, through fun and educational classroom activities. At today’s event, the Resource Guide was gifted to preschools in Male’, VilliMale’ and Hulhumale’ and it will soon be distributed to preschools throughout the country. Speaking at the event, ARC’s Executive Director, Ms. Zenysha Shaheed Zaki highlighted the importance of good nutrition and physical activity in laying the foundation for a healthier more fulfilling life, and expressed hope that the guide will be used by schools throughout the country. The Resource Guide was launched by paediatrician Dr Niyasha, who noted the important role teachers and parents can play, in ensuring that children are healthy and in preventing non-communicable diseases. To mark the occasion of the World Health Day, ARC has also expanded outreach of the HEAL Campaign sessions for students, which were previously held for Grades 1-3. The new sessions, also conducted by ARC’s Senior Consultant on Nutrition, are tailored for teenagers and will focus on students of grades 6-7. Today’s sessions commenced at Kalaafaanu School and will be continued for other students in Male’ and the Atolls, in addition to the ongoing HEAL sessions for parents as well as workshops for teachers. The expansion of the HEAL Campaign to include a Resource Guide for Teachers and informative sessions for older students marks a significant milestone in the nationwide awareness campaign and it is ARC’s hope that these increased efforts will help guide children in the country towards healthier lifestyles.