The curtains came down on the celebration of Vaccination Week with the winners of the Ministry of Public Health-sponsored art competition being named at a ceremony at the National Library.
World Vaccination Week is celebrated annually between the period April 24 – 30.
Leading the winners was Precious Barrow who won the senior category. Barrow, a Fifth Form student of St Joseph’s Secondary School, said her winning submission depicted “children globally uniting for vaccination week” under the theme ‘#GetVax to celebrate a healthy tomorrow’.
Minister Karen Cummings flanked by Precious Barrow and Donlee Castello.
Barrow, who is preparing to write technical subjects at the Regional Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, said she “didn’t expect to go this far [in what her piece depicted] but when I started, ideas keep coming.”
In it is seen the earth in a heart with the sun rising in the background. The flags of many nations are also seen in Barrow’s winning submission. The key theme of her ‘Vaccination Week’ piece, she explained, is “love surrounding each child in the world”.
She said she does art as a hobby but plans to pursue post-secondary training in the discipline.
Donlee Castello, 14, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo won, the second prize in his category.
The annual art competition is sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) department of the Public Health Ministry. But according to Dr. Ertenisa Hamilton the Department has been unable to make contact with administrators of the Good Hope Learning Centre which also submitted three winners in this year’s competition.
A section of the audience at the awards ceremony.
Moroever, named in the winners’ row are: seven-year old Anmarie Goberdhan; 10-year old Dinesh Shivgobin and Tameshwar Singh in the 7-10 category.
The prizes for the winners included school supplies and an electronic tablet.
Archbishop Wingrove David Babb, Senior Pastor of Special Miracles Ministries, East LaPenitence and a former Guyana and West Indies opening batsman who requested anonymity, sponsored the electronic tablets for the winners in the three categories of students drawn from primary and secondary schools between ages 6 and 16.