Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Sesame Workshop, the producers of the global educational brand, Sesame Street and the Jordanian Co-Production Hikayat Simsim , joined the Global Road Safety Partnership in a move to contribute its educational media expertise to the worldwide effort to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities among children and families. The Global Road Safety Partnership is a partnership of business, civil society and governmental organizations dedicate to improving road safety conditions in low- and middle-income countries.

Road traffic injuries are a major but neglected public health challenge. According to the World Health Organization’s “Global status report on road safety,” published in June 2009:

• Every year, road crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people and injure between 20 and 50 million more.
• Worldwide, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29, and the second cause of death for those aged 5 to 14.
• Road traffic injuries rank ninth among the leading cause of deaths for children aged 1 to 4 year.
• Five hundred children die every day in road crashes.
• More children died in Africa in 1998 from road crashes than from the HIV/AIDS virus.

“We, as an organization, recognize the immensity of this worldwide crisis,” said Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “Over the years, Sesame Workshop has harnessed the power and popularity of our Muppet characters to make a meaningful and measurable difference in critical issues facing children and families, from obesity to emergency preparedness. We look forward to working with GRSP and our worldwide network of partners to communicate important road safety messages to local communities, families, and children via targeted content and materials. Raising awareness and knowledge of vital road safety behaviors is the key to reversing these statistics.”

The announcement comes on the heels of a historic UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming 2011-2020 the Decade of Action for Road Safety. The resolution was co-sponsored by 90 member states who, along with business, donors and civil society institutions, commit to support actions to address the global road safety crisis including increased use of seatbelts, child restraints and helmets and promoting road safety education.

As the newest member of GRSP, Sesame Workshop has been charged with utilizing its expertise in evidence-based education to content and distribute materials that will positive behavior changes in road safety among young children and their families.

“For over 40 years, Sesame Workshop has had an amazing ability to and deliver on a global scale media content that has proven results in achieving behavior change,” said Andrew Pearce, Chief Executive Officer of GRSP. “By coupling this with the road safety expertise available within the Global Road Safety Partnership, we believe there is the potential to make a new and considerable contribution to improving road safety outcomes. ”

Jordan Pioneers, the co-producers of Hikayat Simsim who will actively work along side Sesame Workshop and with the MENARSP so as to carry out the common goals of this initiative and partnership within the Middle East and Jordan.

“Hikayat Simsim thrives to me an inhibitor in Road Safety education in Jordan”, Said Mr. Khaled Haddad General Manager of Jordan Pioneers and executive producer for the series. “In 2009 Hikayat Simsim conducted a formative research study was conducted in Jordan for Road Safety, so as to properly evaluate the needs for educational impact to be done in this field in Jordan, The results were amazing and through partnerships like the this one we will initiate behavior change and more road safety awareness”.

The Global Road Safety Partnership is a partnership between Governments and Governmental Organizations, Businesses, and Civil Society Organizations with a secretariat hosted by the International federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. Members include the World Health Organization, The World Bank, Royal Dutch/Shell Group, The National Traffic and Safety Commission and Michelin, among many others. Working from their vision of “ A world free of road crash death and injury”, GRSP helps address road safety issues in low and middle income countries. GRSP works with partners in all sectors at the global, national local levels, providing advice on good practice and facilitating demonstration projects in a growing number of countries.

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap including The Electric Company and Pinky Dinky Doo. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning.


Hikayat Simsim:

Hikayat Simsim, on air since 2003 and in the production of seasons 3 & 4, is the Jordanian co-production of Sesame Street is specially designed to support the objectives of Jordan’s Education Reform for a Knowledge Economy (ERfKE) and for the Jordanian society working in benefit of educational and cultural sustainability of its future and promote education, health, good citizenship and important national causes that serve the interest of Jordanian children and families and is made possible through the generous support of USAID and Bank of Jordan.