Sharjah Child Friendly Office (SCFO), previously Sharjah Baby Friendly Office, has launched a new brand identity to reflect its emphasis on inclusivity in its programmes and its keenness in adopting a more holistic approach towards the protection and promotion of the rights of all infants, children and young adults living in the emirate.
The new identity includes renaming the office and the creation of a new official logo to reinforce the entity’s emphasis on the importance of involving all groups and institutions of various specialisations in the process of empowering children with their rights and introducing them to their duties in a fair and equal manner.
SCFO also seeks to further emphasise the need to educate society on the mechanisms of nurturing children in a way that ensures their proper psychological and intellectual development, and transforms them into capable citizens with knowledge, ambition and passion to make a positive difference in their communities.
Highlighting the objective of this decision, Dr Hessa Al Ghazal Executive Director of SCFO, stated: “Launching the new identity reflects the office’s holistic and inclusive approach to promoting the rights and welfare of all infants, children and youth. Our organisation exists to benefit children and young adults representing all age groups, abilities and origins, without exception, which is a message we want to convey more strongly through this change. We believe that our goals and efforts are more aptly represented by this new brand identity”.
“This new phase of development builds on the 40-plus years of efforts steered by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his Wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council of Family Affairs (SCFA),” she added.
Dr Hessa Al Ghazal continued: “We are certain that the Sharjah Child Friendly Office will uphold this new name and the values it embodies, leading to a stronger universal recognition of Sharjah’s unrivalled efforts in catering to the needs, aspirations and expectations of children and youth by making the emirate a place where their abilities can find the best possible expression and where their rights are fully secured.”
The establishment of the office dates back to the launch of the Sharjah Baby Friendly Emirate campaign in 2011, under the slogan “A right beginning for a better future”, with the aim of supporting and encouraging breastfeeding in the emirate. Expanding on the campaign’s success, the Sharjah Baby Friendly Office (Sharjah Child Friendly Office, hereon) was established in June 2016.
Sharjah is the first emirate in the UAE, and the first city in the world to have been awarded the title of Baby-Friendly City by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2015, followed more recently by the ‘Child-Friendly City’ title, awarded by UNICEF in May 2018 under its global Child Friendly Cities initiative (CFCI).
The Sharjah Child Friendly Office is currently tasked with overseeing the continuation and implementation of the Sharjah Baby-Friendly Project (targeting age group 0-2) and the Sharjah Child Friendly City Project (targeting age group 0-18), in addition to organising year-round initiatives and activities such as the Child-Friendly Urban Planning project, and the annual Sharjah Carnival for Children and Youth.