MMDA, Sesame Street partner for educational campaign for kids
This is a press release from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
EDUCATIONAL DRIVE. (Left) MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim and (Right) Will De Pippo, Director for Asia-Pacific of Sesame Street, sign an agreement for an educational drive for children at the Children Road Safety Park in Malate, Manila. Photo by: Lito Boras/RAPPLER 
MANILA, Philippines – Children all over Metro Manila may now learn about road safety, waste management, and public safety in a fun manner with Sesame Street’s Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, and their friends, as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) partners with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind the iconic television series, for a three-year educational campaign for children.
The partnership launch took place at the Children’s Road Safety Park in Malate, Manila on Monday, March 18.
The collaboration aims to help children and families learn about road safety, caring for the environment, and preparing for emergencies in the context of MMDA’s functions. MMDA believes Sesame Street is the ideal partner for this endeavor since the show pioneered the educational program format for kids.
“We are very excited about this initiative which focuses on children, the future citizens of Metro Manila. It is everybody’s responsibility to teach kids respect for the rules and compassion for the community, and we at the MMDA are proud to be with Sesame Workshop at the frontline of this endeavor. We hope that through our line-up of activities under this partnership, the kids will carry out these lessons throughout childhood and into their adult lives as well,” MMDA Chairman Danny Lim said.
“For the last 50 years, Sesame Street has brought the life-changing benefits of early learning to children around the globe,” said Will DePippo, Director Asia Pacific for Sesame Workshop.
“We’re proud to partner with MMDA on a campaign where Elmo, Cookie Monster and Big Bird are helping to deliver educational messages in a fun and engaging way for children and their families.”
The program included the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Chairman Lim and Mr. DePippo. Invited guests, including children, also had an exclusive preview of the ongoing MMDA x Sesame Street Wall Art, which spans 500 meters and is done in partnership with Davies Paints.
Davies Paints, a long-time partner of MMDA, plays an essential role in the ongoing MMDA x Sesame Street Wall Art by providing the painting materials and labor requirements of the project. These efforts are part of Davies Paints' commitment to aid in the rehabilitation and maintenance of the Children's Road Safety Park.
The event concluded with children and members of the media taking a guided tour of the venue, the Children’s Road Safety Park. Through the walkthrough, children were taught about traffic rules and regulations through the miniature street-related structures in the vicinity.
MMDA hopes to mount a traveling road safety park of similar nature, which the agency will take to different cities around Metro Manila.
Within the 3-year partnership, MMDA and Sesame Street will work hand in hand on activities such as but not limited to wall arts along the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, a family fun run, the MMDA Children’s Handbook, and a children’s exposition, which is essentially a cross between an educational theme park and experiential museum.
ABOUT SESAME WORKSHOP
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit sesameworkshop.org.
–Rappler.com
