Walk safely, southern students
On the occasion of the UN Global Road Safety Week marked between 4 and 10 May, around 120 students from five different southern schools attended on 8 May an exercise on Road Safety organised by UNIFIL's Civil Affairs office in cooperation with local NGO Kunhadi, Italian and Tanzanian Military Police as well as UNIFIL's Transport Section.
UNIFIL's Civil Affairs partnered with Kunhadi and the different sections involved within UNIFIL to organise theoretical presentation and practical demonstrations for students of different age groups. The event was held at the Sector West headquarters in Shamaa, Tyre.
"I just earned a ticket because, as a driver, I failed to tell you to put your seatbelt on," a transport officer from UNIFIL explained to the kid seated next to him, during an exercise conducted for the occasion, with the participation of a Tanzanian military police officer.
Indeed, the children received hands-on training on how to make good use of road signs, traffic lights, pedestrian crosswalks, seat belts in order to remain safe on the roads. "This is part of a global UN programme to reduce road fatalities and improve safety on Lebanese roads and everywhere else," UNIFIL's Civil Affairs officer Habib Aziz explained.
"One of the main responsibilities of UNIFIL International Military Police is to carry out road traffic control for UNIFIL's vehicles and personnel." UNIFIL's Force Provost Marshall Lieutenant-Colonel Emanuele Pipola pointed out. He added, "I am very glad to contribute to this road safety awareness campaign as the children seem to be happy as well."
At the end of the exercise, children were awarded a certificate of attendance.