Hospiten held this event in collaboration with Keeping Kids in School (KKIS), a renowned local nonprofit organization as part of Hospiten’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts. The short story contest will be complemented by a puppet theater performance of the winning story in July. This event is a pioneer in bringing such an initiative to this community.
On November 20, 1959, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Children's Day celebration. This date was chosen as it marks the day when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted. However, different countries have set their dates for this commemoration.
In Mexico, April 30 was designated as Children's Day in 1924. For this reason, April is a month dedicated to various actions aimed at celebrating and focusing on the well-being of children. These celebrations also serve as a reminder that children are the most vulnerable group during crises and humanity's challenges. They highlight the need to respect children's rights and raise awareness about the importance of working for their well-being.
Among the United Nations’ stated fundamental rights of children are the rights to health, education, and development, which is why Hospiten helps celebrate Children’s Day every April by designing various activities.
For 2023’s festivities, Hospiten was honored to design this initiative with one of its regular collaborators in Corporate Social Responsibility: Keeping Kids in School (KKIS). KKIS is an organization that provides school supplies, financial assistance, and educational opportunities to improve school attendance and graduation rates among local children and youth from low-income backgrounds. Its tremendous success led to Hospiten choosing to participate in KKIS’ initiatives in recent years.
The Hospiten and KKIS children's short story contest invited elementary students from the “Constituyentes de 1974” school in Playa del Carmen’s Cristo Rey neighborhood to participate.
The contest received an overwhelming response from 24 enthusiastic elementary school students from Constituyentes de 1974. These talented young minds unleashed their creativity and crafted unique and captivating short stories, demonstrating their writing skills and vivid imaginations. A panel of distinguished judges, comprised of literary experts and educators, meticulously evaluated each submission and selected three finalists who stood out for their exceptional storytelling abilities. Among the finalists, Jamila Domínguez, a gifted sixth-grade student, emerged as the winner. Her story enchanted the judges with its eloquence, originality, and imaginative narrative. The young girl couldn't hold back tears of excitement upon learning she had won and received the bicycle that Hospiten awarded to the first-place winner. The second and third-place winners also received backpacks filled with various prizes, and all the other participating children received additional gifts.
Diana de la Rosa and Betsy Guisell, the Medical Director and Director of Nursing at Hospiten Riviera Maya, attended the event and took part in the awards and diploma ceremony along with Sara Navarro, Executive Director of KKIS. They helped the children build a wall where they hung their stories, adorned with colorful drawings, creating an artistic representation of their work.
To conclude the event, a meal was held, accompanied by a puppet of Ospi the Frog, one of the characters from the contest stories, who will also star in the upcoming theatrical performance of the winning story, scheduled for July.
With this initiative, Hospiten reaches out to this important sector of the Mexican population, impacting children living in vulnerable conditions while strengthening its ties with the KKIS community of benefactors, which consists of over 500 American, Canadian, and European expatriates.