Landmark Arabia, a retail and hospitality conglomerate in the region, has launched a nationwide initiative in Saudi Arabia titled “Super Kidz.” The initiative aims to encourage kids to eat healthy and adopt an active lifestyle, through an online creative contest. The contest is set to run throughout the month of November, to mark the diabetes awareness month. 

The “Super Kidz” initiative is part of the group’s global CSR initiative “Beat Diabetes,” to spread awareness about the condition. The initiative shows people that diabetes can be managed by taking three simple steps — Take the Test, Eat Healthy and Get Active. This is the 10th year of the “Beat Diabetes” initiative and the group aims to reach out to a large audience with the message of healthy living. 

The “Super Kidz” initiative spreads the message of healthy eating and active lifestyle for kids through two superhero characters — Super Sam and Super Sara. The characters have also been illustrated in two digital comic books that chronicle their adventures including their love for sports, reading, exercising and eating lots of healthy food. In the comics, the “Super Kidz” are seen to receive their superpowers from their healthy lifestyle habits.

During the initiative, kids will have the chance to participate in an online “Super Kidz Creative Contest,” which will include a drawing and a creative writing challenge. Children between the ages of four and six can submit a drawing showcasing ways of eating healthy or getting active, while children between the ages of seven and 10 are invited to submit their original stories in English or Arabic on the same topic of healthy living. The entries will be judged for age-appropriate creativity and originality. 

The winning drawing and story will be included in the next Super Kidz comic. In addition, the first-place winners from both categories will receive an iPad Pro, while the runners-up will receive an iPad. Every submission will get a certificate of participation. 

The World Health Organization recognizes childhood obesity as a significant challenge of the 21st century. Globally, in 2016 the number of overweight children under the age of five, was estimated to be over 41 million. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) has also underlined the high prevalence of modifiable risk factors among Saudi youth, and further states that if current unhealthy habits are not reversed at a young age, the burden of disease and illness will rise in the future. 

Recognizing the alarming consequences of such findings, Landmark Arabia is committed to taking necessary steps to address and prevent a surge in the incidence of chronic lifestyle conditions.

Entries can be submitted via the SuperKidz website: http://www.superkidz.me/sa/en