JORDAN

Muna Hamzeh
Ministry of Health

I took charge of the Health Education Department in 1988. My colleagues, the advisory committee, and I were preparing the health education priorities for the Ministry of Health. We spent months studying the files, collecting reports and statistics. I found a law about (Protecting health from Tobacco) and many letters signed by Ministers of Health, full of regulations to implement the law but without action plans forthe staff to educate the people about it. I found unplanned activities to educate the target audience, without studies or statistics. After that we designed a program with WHO and UNICEF.

The most important motivation in my work is our success with children, by raising a new tobacco free generation. And their efforts to convince their parents to quit smoking. And the happiness and beautiful smile on the face of someone who quit smoking. I believe that in the future we will succeed in helping smokers to quit and make Jordan tobacco free -- especially after the global efforts, the big support of the policy makers, and the general atmosphere against Tobacco in the closed areas.

I became interested in international tobacco control efforts after the World Tobacco Conference in Chicago, and the global partnership achievements.

Jordan's Ministry of Health is partnered with the American Lung Association of Florida