In Great Company Issue No 2 February 2011 Welcome to Issue 2 of In Great Company – the biannual newsletter from the Corporate Partnerships team at Save the Children. This edition includes an introduction to our No Child Born To Die campaign and news of exciting new partnerships with Mothercare Group, Lloyds Banking Group and Thorntons. Lloyds Banking Group staff set to raise £1m for UK children Plans to significantly upscale our UK programme work were given a massive boost earlier this year when we were unveiled as Lloyds Banking Group’s Charity of the Year for 2011. The partnership – officially launched on January 5 by Lloyds Banking Group Chairman Sir Winfried Bischoff and Save the Children Chief Executive Justin Forsyth – is expected to raise at least £1m to help fund our vital work to end UK child poverty. Employees’ fundraising efforts will help provide a brighter future for nearly 5,000 of the UK’s most disadvantaged children by funding 52 Save the Children Families and Schools Together FAST programmes at 26 UK locations. FAST is a groundbreaking programme that strengthens parents’ relationships with their children. Mothercare Group - supporting our UK and Global work “The fact that Mothercare Group will be supporting our work at home and abroad, in areas important to their staff and customers, is something we are incredibly excited about. By aligning our common purpose we will work together to improve the lives of mothers and their children across the world." The partnership will fund our global child survival work and our work to end UK child poverty. Partnership will be worth £1.75m over 3 years Save the Children’s ability to deliver bespoke global partnerships has been underlined with the unveiling of our new £1.75m Born to Care partnership with Mothercare Group. The firm’s first-ever global charity partnership will roll out as part of its 50th birthday celebrations. Initially the three-year relationship will focus on a mix of employee fundraising, supplier engagement and in-store activity across the Mothercare, Early Learning Centre and Gurgle.com brands. Plans to engage franchise members and partners in a further 50 global markets are due to follow, along with potential cause-related marketing opportunities. Douglas Rouse, Corporate Partnerships Director at Save the Children, said: Thorntons – best bar none Cause-related marketing has never tasted so sweet thanks to the new Thorntons Born to Share Milk Chocolate with Mango Chocolate Block. The company is donating 91p from the sale of each bar to help fund our education work in Haiti. Launched to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake, the chocolate uses Haitian cocoa beans. Money raised through the three-month promotion will help us train teachers, rebuild schools and buy classroom equipment. The block is on sale for £1.79 in all Thorntons stores and online at www.thorntons.co.uk Reckitt Benckiser set to provide a Million Brighter Futures Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has demonstrated its commitment to our growing global partnership with the launch of its Million Brighter Futures initiative. The initiative – which includes plans to boost current funds raised from £6m to £10m by 2015 is great news for our child and maternal health programmes in Angola and Tanzania, our child domestic workers programme in India and our emergency response work across the world – all of which receive funds from RB. You can find out more about a Million Brighter Futures by logging Soft Toy success for IKEA A big thank you to those who showed their softer side by buying a cuddly toy from IKEA in the run up to Christmas. The home furnishings giant – one of our largest corporate partners – is donating one euro to us and UNICEF for every one of the 8.6 million soft toys sold in its 300 stores worldwide between October 25 and December 24. on to a new set of web pages dedicated to the partnership. Developed and hosted by the firm behind home, health and personal care brands including Dettol, Nurofen and Cillit Bang, these pages feature all the latest partnership news, as well as facts and stats, films and fundraising updates. Fundraisers’ stories are also included as well as information on some of the programmes RB is supporting: www.rb.com/Our-responsibility/AMillion-Brighter-Futures Fair Instant sales hit £500k Our on-pack partnership with FFI Ltd – the makers of FAIR INSTANT Fairtrade coffee – has raised an incredible £500,000 for Save the Children since going on sale in 2007. The funds have benefited thousands of children in Colombia, many of whom have been displaced by armed conflict and are living in extreme poverty. Record year Fairtrade IKEA is also donating one euro for every children’s product and special Soft Toy Kids’ Meal sold during the final week of the campaign, leading to a record total donation of €11.4m. Launched in 2003, the annual initiative has so far raised an astounding €35.2m, allowing us to deliver improved education to 8 million children in around 40 countries. It’s enabled us to build schools, train teachers and buy stationery – helping children reach their full potential. FFI Ltd’s support has allowed us to provide teacher training, school kits and nutritious school meals, as well as improve access to education for vulnerable children. FAIR INSTANT Fairtrade Granules and Fairtrade Gold are available in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op, Booths and Booker and online at www.fair-instant.co.uk. A total of 10p per 100g jar, 20p per 200g jar and 25p per 500g drum goes to Save the Children. The perfect Valentine’s gift – limited-edition Bulgari ring Say ‘I love you’ in style and help educate some of the world’s poorest children at the same time by splashing out on a little limited-edition luxury this Valentine’s Day. Our partner Bulgari has launched a new silver and ceramic ring engraved with the Save the Children logo. For every ring sold we will receive £50 to help deliver vital support to programmes in countries including Haiti, China and Southern Sudan. The B.Zero ring is priced at £250 and will be available throughout 2011 at Bulgari’s London Stores in New Bond Street, Sloane Street and The Royal Exchange, as well as at Harrods and Selfridges. www.bulgari.com Partnership Focus Through this partnership we really can do something about it…even if the crisis isn’t grabbing the headlines. Our current three-year project ‘Saving lives now and in the future: Creating sustainable change in Niger’s health care system’ is funding the development of a robust primary healthcare system in the Aguié and Tessoua districts of rural Maradi. Our work aims to dramatically reduce the number of women and children dying from easilypreventable causes in these areas by providing access to simple healthcare measures, including vaccinations and mosquito nets. Hadia and her daughter Maliqwq at a health stabilization unit supported by Save the Children  The Vitol Group is one of the world’s largest Photo credit independent integrated energy companies. The focus of the Vitol Charitable Foundation is to alleviate childhood deprivation worldwide  Our relationship began when the Foundation provided vital emergency funds to help stop children starving during the food crisis in Niger in 2005  Since then the Foundation’s support has been critical to our global emergency response and in establishing a sustainable Niger country programme, delivering lasting improvements to local health services Our relationship with Vitol is a clear example of how a committed corporate partner can help us make good on our promise to reach the world’s most vulnerable children – wherever they are. Few know that Niger is the third poorest country in the world, or that 75,000 babies die there every year before reaching their first birthday. Women wait to have their children vaccinated at the Save the Children clinic in Kourni The Foundation’s support is helping us influence the government to replicate the programme in other parts of Niger as a whole – a legacy that could mean the difference between life and death for generations of women and their children for many years to come. Aviva marketing campaign puts supporters in the picture Supporter photos were projected onto buildings Aviva is donating an amazing £170,000 to us thanks to the success of its first ever global brand campaign ‘You are the Big Picture’. Running from October to December last year this innovative and interactive campaign gave people the chance to get involved and have their photo projected onto the side of a landmark building in one of five major cities across the world, including London. More than 160,000 people interacted, including 57,000 who uploaded their picture and many more who ‘liked’ the campaign on Facebook - something we were able to support with regular postings to our supporters. Every interaction sparked a £1 donation from Aviva to support its Street to School programme working with street children in India. Even more was raised during the company’s special ‘Double Donation’ weekend. The money will help fund new Street to School projects run by Save the Children. www.youarethebigpicture.com No Child Born To Die – a campaign to engage the nation We are constantly looking at ways to involve our partners in the wider work of the organisation. That’s why many of you will already know about our new No Child Born To Die campaign and be as excited as us about the opportunities it will present going forward. The campaign launched with a media fanfare on January 24th. Extensive press coverage, a high-profile ad campaign and support from celebrities including David Beckham, Simon Cowell, Natasha Kaplinsky and Alexandra Burke, helped us get off to a fantastic start – raising awareness about the crucial work we are doing saving millions of children’s lives across the world and helping them have a brighter future here at home in the UK. We believe that No Child is Born To Die and that every child, no matter where they are born, or whatever their circumstances, should have the chance to shine and reach their full potential. That’s why we want as many of our supporters as possible, including you - our valued corporate partners - to get behind the campaign and help us transform the lives of children across the globe. www.savethechildren.org.uk/bornto Where will the money go? How can we get involved? As you’ve seen earlier in this newsletter, we’re already working with Mothercare Group on Born to Care and Thorntons on Born to Share. But we’re also asking our other supporters what they were Born To do. Whether your staff were Born to Run, Sing, Cook, Party or Dazzle, they can make a difference by getting involved. Hamisi, three, Tanzania It’s a shocking fact that every year more than 8 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday – many from completely avoidable causes. Money raised through the No Child Born To Die campaign will help us provide the vaccines, nurses and healthcare necessary to protect mothers and their children from treatable illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia and stop this completely unnecessary loss of life. It’s also shocking to know that despite living in the fifth richest country in the world millions of children in this country are growing up in poverty. Money raised for our UK work will help us ensure that no child in the UK is born without a warm home, the right food, or the hope of a good education. Baby Ashraf at a mobile health clinic in Delhi We’re putting together an extensive calendar of fundraising activities and events designed to engage as many of your employees as possible. You can also lend your voice to the campaign by backing our call for more money to be invested in the kind of vaccination programmes we know save thousands of children’s lives each day. To view our No Child Born To Die policy report ‘Closing the Gaps’ go here: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_14725. htm. To get involved or tell us your own ‘Born To’ ideas contact your Account Manager. Events in the spotlight Save the Children Week Royal Parks Half Marathon Save the Children places are still available for the Royal Parks Half Marathon on October 9. A registration fee of £50 and minimum sponsorship of £550 will secure you a space in this fantastic race through London’s Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park. Ask your Account Manager for details. IFR Awards raises £1.45m Twinings staff make time for tea to raise funds More than £1.45m was pledged to Save the Children by investment banks attending the 16th annual Thomson Reuters International Financing Review (IFR) awards gala dinner at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on January 19. Save the Children Week will be bigger and better than ever before this year, making it the ideal focus for staff fundraising activities. Starting on April 25, this year’s event coincides with the Royal Wedding, which is why we’ll be asking partners to join in the celebrations and hold fundraising parties in aid of Save the Children. The money raised will give children across the world the chance they deserve to fulfil their potential. Born To Party Born to Party fundraising packs, offering tips and guidance on how to get involved, will be available from your Account Manager nearer the time. We’re hoping many will follow the example set last year by our partner Twinings. Staff at the company, which has been funding our life-saving work in China since 2004, raised more than £1,100 by baking and selling cakes and organising afternoon tea parties. Twinings also gave our supporters ‘money off‘ vouchers for their ‘Tea Deli’ range and helped to promote the campaign using their customer enewsletter and website. Forthcoming Events Can you conquer the First Monster? Places are still up for grabs for this year’s First Monster team duathlon around the stunning shores of Loch Ness. The event, run by our partner FirstGroup, takes place on September 3rd. For more info go here: www.firstmonster.com TV presenter Melanie Sykes holds the microphone for Colin Grassie as he donates an amazing £500,000 to Save the Children on behalf of Deutsche Bank Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, President of Save the Children, attended the event to present Dr Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the management board and executive committee, Deutsche Bank, with the coveted “Bank of the Year Award” for 2010. Thomson Reuters IFR During the evening senior representatives from the world’s leading investment banks pledged money via an interactive charity bidding board. Presenters Johnny Vaughan and Melanie Sykes were there to oversee proceedings. Deutsche Bank topped the list of contributors with a phenomenal bid of £500,000. Keith Mullin, Editor-at-Large at Thomson Reuters IFR, described the amount raised as “a tremendous achievement”. An extraordinary year for the Children’s Emergency Fund Save the Children responded to a record 40 emergencies last year, including the hugely challenging earthquake and cholera outbreak in Haiti and the devastating floods in Pakistan. We also led a significant response to the food crisis in Niger. Funds in place In the last quarter alone we also responded to natural disasters in Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Afghanistan. By having the cash we needed to respond in place, our vital Children’s Emergency Fund (CEF) allowed us to act without delay, reaching more vulnerable children in the critical first few days of these emergencies and saving more lives. It also meant we could respond to those disasters which didn’t make the news without waiting for funds to be raised. CEF Funds helped us respond quickly in Pakistan However, due to the extraordinary number of emergencies last year, our CEF reserves ran out by early December. For more information on the Children’s Emergency Fund please contact Mark Williams on 0207 012 6500 or at [email protected] In my view – a personal perspective on corporate support Last October IKEA Environment Specialist Nigel McGarry spent a week visiting remote villages in Vietnam to see first-hand how money raised through the company’s annual Soft Toy campaign is helping fund our vital education programmes. Here’s what he found: Q. Was Vietnam what you expected? A. Having been to the Far East on holiday quite a few times it really was a wonderful experience to see Vietnam, warts and all, in a non-tourist context. Q. How was the trip beneficial to you personally? A. Seeing how money raised is actually spent on child education in Vietnam, reinforced my perception that IKEA and Save the Children are doing the most vital work in the field. Q. How was the trip beneficial to IKEA? A. Questions from IKEA customers on how and where funds raised by Soft Toy are used can now be answered with clarity and in total confidence. Q. What one thing will you remember most about your visit? A. I was given the opportunity to assist in taking an English lesson. The sheer enthusiasm with which the children embraced school life made me realise that if their education meant so much to them then, at the very least, it should mean as much to me and IKEA customers and staff. Did you know?  At the height of last year’s devastating floods in Pakistan the area submerged under water was as large as Great Britain.  This included 2.1 million hectares, or 5.2 million acres, of cropland which were damaged by the floodwaters – an area equivalent to the size of Wales.  To date, we have reached more than 2,620,000 flood-affected people through emergency medical care, distribution of shelter materials, hygiene items, household kits, water purification sachets and food. Want to find out more? If you have any questions about this newsletter please contact your key Save the Children contact or Gemma Laird, on 0207 012 6510, or [email protected]