The Philippine mission in the Saudi capital recently donated artwork created by the children of embassy personnel to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH&RC).

“The artwork was an illustration of what Filipino children like most about living in Saudi Arabia and an expression of their solidarity with their young Saudi friends,” said Ambassador Ezzedin Tago.

The artwork will be displayed in the hospital’s pediatric ward.

Entitled “Mga Bagay na Gusto Ko sa Saudi Arabia” (“The things I like about Saudi Arabia”), the piece consists of a collection of felt fabric art sets in two large frames conceived of by 21 children between the ages of five and 11 with the help of their mothers.

The project was the brainchild of Jasmine J. Alferez, the wife of Minister and Consul-General Marshall Louis Alferez, and the Philippine Embassy Ladies’ Group that she heads.

Alferez formally gifted the artwork to the hospital. Senior hospital management officials, led by Fahd Al-Shair, head of the public and media affairs department, accepted the artwork on behalf of the hospital.

“We Filipinos recognize the power of art to inspire and heal and it is our hope that the young patients and medical staff of the KFSHRC will enjoy looking at the artwork as much as our young artists enjoyed making them,” Alferez said during the event.

Hospital officials also took the opportunity to praise the creativity of the young artists and their mothers and thanked the embassy for its generous donation.

They also gave a briefing on the hospital history, particularly its long association with Filipino medical and technical staff, many of whom have worked at the center for many decades. Four senior Filipino medical veterans were also present during the turnover.

Hospital officials, including various ward supervisors, hailed the competence and work ethic of the children during the turnover.