Veronica’s paint wins Road Safety award

Thousands of people die every year from road accidents something that everyone admits it can be avoided.

This is why it is important to teach young children the importance of road safety. Last week at a special art contest sponsored by Puma Energy, Bunge Primary School’s Veronica Innocent (12) emerged winner.

For her efforts Veronica receieved Sh50, 000 from Traffic Commander Mr Mpinga and Sh500, 000 from Puma Energy Tanzania Limited who also awrde her school Sh4 million for the victory.

Speaking to the Young Citizen after the ceremony, Veronica said that apart of winning cash prizes and others gifts the competition was very important as it gives the pupils the drawing skills that they may need in future.

Veronica has on numerous occassions participated in drawing competitions that involve boy but she says this was special.

To her the win was that girls too can become great artists not only in tanzania but on the African continent.

“I was worred to feature in the competition, in the begining I thought the competition was only meant for boys. I told my teacher that I wanted to compete, they told me I can and officially entered my name in the event,”

She adds: I expected to get competitions from the boys but I convinced myself that I was the best . and look what happened, today I am celebrating to be the winner.

The event was organized by Amend and facilitated by Puma Energy Tanzania Limited.

After she had emerged winner of the Dar es Salaam edition that involved Seven primary schools she had to compete at regional level.

Her picture was taken to geita where she competed with three other pupils in the regional level competition.

“It was not an easy win, after being told that I was overall winner by the Traffic Police Commander, Mohamed Mpinga, I was shocked because my dream had come true and now I am one of the Road Safety ambassadors,” she said.

Addressing the gathering Puma Energy Tanzania Limited managing director, Phillipe Corsaletti said their firm is committed in the road safety campaign in the country and so far they have trained more than 42,238 pupils in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Geita schools.

“We have been conducting a road safety training in various Primary schools in Tanzania. In line with the training, students are then engaged in the drawing competition.

The Road Safety Drawing Competition aims at helping in educating primary school children about Road Safety from childhood,” said Corsaletti.

Corsaletti said in Tanzania the competition commenced in 2013 and 33 primary schools have so far participated. He said The competition provides each school child with an opportunity to share good Road Safety practices, and out of the many entries received, the best are selected and awarded.

“The ultimate objective is to have all government primary schools in the country participate in this program, if possible,” he said. He explained that the company’s agenda on road safety has remained the same for years and they would like to share briefly what they have done for the past three years in relation to road safety in Tanzania.

On his part, the Traffic Police Commander, Mohamed Mpinga said Veronica proved that even children can become good road safety ambassadors by spreading the message to avoid daily road accidents.

Commander Mpinga said, Veronica’s picture reflects the main problem facing youths in the country. “How can you use headphones and cross the road, we need to be very keen on it,” said Mpinga.