Dedicated to Helping African Girls Stay in School
P&G FemCare brands announce joint program to provide school-based support and feminine hygiene products to girls in Southern Africa through HERO: A UNA-USA Campaign
NEW YORK, November 12, 2007 -- Girls living in sub-Saharan Africa can miss up to four days of school each month because they lack the basic necessity of sanitary protection and other resources to manage their periods. To help give girls in this part of the world a better chance at an education and to raise awareness of this issue, P&G brands Always and Tampax are joining forces with HERO, an awareness building and fundraising initiative of the United Nations Association to launch the Protecting Futures program.
According to research, 1 in 10 school-age African girls do not attend school during menstruation or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools. And, if a girl has no access to protective materials or if the materials she has are unreliable and cause embarrassment, she may be forced to stay at home while menstruating. This absence of approximately 4 days every 4 weeks may result in the girl missing 10 to 20 percent of her school days. The Protecting Futures program will provide products and services to help keep girls in school as well as help foster the overall health and well-being of every child in the targeted school communities.
“Working with HERO, the Protecting Futures program brings together the brands’ global resources to help make a positive impact on these young girls by improving access to feminine hygiene products as well as education and health services,” said Michelle Vaeth, Protecting Futures Program Director for P&G. “Through this program, Tampax and Always will help build an infrastructure that – with support from local and national governments - can give children in these communities the chance to reach their full potential.”
“Protecting Futures is making a positive and direct impact in the lives of children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This program also helps support two of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – promoting gender equity and ensuring that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling,” said Gabrielle Armand, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing for the United Nations Association of the USA. The UNA-USA’s HERO Campaign provides comprehensive school-based support to children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Southern Africa.
Protecting Futures, a ground-breaking five-year commitment was born out of a pilot program Always launched in Kenya two years ago through a partnership with the Girl Child Network (GCN) and is a part of P&G corporate cause, Live, Learn, and Thrive which has helped over 50 million children in need.
Protecting Futures is a comprehensive care program which will bring puberty education, traveling health educators, nutritious feeding programs, educational support services, a pad distribution program, and significant construction projects to nine schools in the first year.
* Launched this year in Namibia, Protecting Futures is providing over 200 children with improved access to education by building and outfitting classrooms, dormitories, kitchens, and toilets, at two school sites. The program will also fund teacher training, uniforms for all students, and a year-round feeding program.
* Protecting Futures is also dramatically improving the sanitation, health and hygiene for the community in this region by building a four-kilometer-long water pipeline to 2 schools in this region. In addition to providing direct access to clean water at these schools for all children and teachers, this project allows girls to remain in class all day without having to walk long distances to obtain water for their fellow students.
* This Winter 2007/2008 support will expand to HERO schools in the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa where Protecting Futures will provide sanitary protection to young girls at nine regional schools to help them overcome the obstacle of attending school during menstruation. These girls will also benefit from an Always funded Health, Hygiene, and Puberty education program taught by a traveling health educator. In addition, Protecting Futures will fund a traveling health care provider for all of the children at these schools.
* In addition, Tampax and Always help sponsor the HERO Youth Ambassador program through their teen-focused website, Beinggirl.com. Twenty-four teens from across the U.S.A. were selected to become Youth Ambassadors and traveled to Namibia and South Africa this summer to work on the Protecting Futures program. Their personal experiences were documented in a series of webisodes airing on beinggirl.com/hero to help encourage and empower all teens to become global citizens.
In support of Protecting Futures, Tampax and Always will launch a dedicated advertising, in-store and online campaign in the US and Canada beginning this Fall 2007.
“There are lots of reasons kids miss school”, said Ms. Vaeth. “Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.”
For more information on the Protecting Futures program and ways to be involved and help make a difference too, visit www.ProtectingFutures.com.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Tampax and Always Launch Protecting Futures Program
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A New Mom Finds a Creative Way to Give to Charity This Season
The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook was created to provide moms with helpful tips and raise money for charity. Available on lulu.com, the 71-page downloadable book is full of tips, forms, advice and quotes to help mothers transition into parenthood. A portion of the proceeds will go to The International Rescue Committee, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Drive Kids to be Fit.
Los Angeles, CA, December 07, 2007
A portion of the proceeds from The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook, created by Los Angeles area mother, Lia Prewitt, will go to The International Rescue Committee, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Drive Kids to be Fit this holiday season. The downloadable manual includes everything from helpful tips to what local celebrities are buying for their babies. "What I like about the format is that you can download it and then read or print what you need. This is a plus for busy moms," says Dr. Annette Miles, a physician and mother of two.
The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook is being sold on lulu.com and promises to include something for everyone. By purchasing a copy, readers get helpful information while donating to charity at the same time. "I wanted to create an opportunity to support these causes while providing a fun product," says Prewitt. The goal is to get useful and inspirational content out to busy, new mothers while raising money for non-profits that help children in the US as well as around the world. "These are strong organizations that do great work for children and families," says Prewitt. The book can be purchased by going to: http://stores.lulu.com/newmomezine
Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Drive Kids to be Fit is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Most recently, actress Vanessa Williams recorded a PSA in support of their programs. Drive Kids to be Fit is associated with the National Institute of Health's We Can! Program. The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide.
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Contact Information
Aspire Publishing
Lia Martin
818-345-8570
lmartin45@socal.rr.com
stores.lulu.com/newmomezine
Sunday, March 25, 2007
You’re Invited to Visit Spring Lambing at Heifer Ranch
Who: Participants in Lambing Season programs at Heifer Ranch
What: Observe spring lambing and visit with participants
When: March 23, 2007, 6 a.m. to noon.
Where: Heifer Ranch, Perryville, Arkansas
During Heifer Ranch’s spring lambing season, women from all over the U.S. are introduced to Heifer’s mission to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth. Participants say they leave these events with a deeper understanding of the world, Heifer’s work and themselves.
One participant said that she had gained a new and better outlook on how a majority of the world lives, which is different from her own life experiences. “This trip allowed my mind to open up, expand and see the bigger picture which I sometimes forget.”
Since 1995, women have shared in the births of dozens of lambs each spring during the Women’s Lambing Season programs. This year the Ranch expects more than 70 participants and from 60 to 100 lambs.
The opportunity to watch the birth of lambs is a highlight of the program for many people. “Watching the little lambs come into this world, I was awestruck and my heart just melted. It was a very profound and moving experience,” said a woman who attended last year’s lambing.
Each of the Women’s Lambing Season programs includes a brief introduction to gestation, birth, and post-lambing care of ewes and lambs. Additionally, the women learn about gender equity, sustainable agriculture and Heifer’s livestock practices.
Registrants can also participate in classes on value-added products such as cheese-making and/or wool crafts and assist with Ranch garden and livestock chores.
Participants also enjoy working and learning from Ranch staff, “The humility and encouragement of all the facilitators for us to share and ask questions really struck me. It was one of the best forms of education that I’ve ever received.”
For more information on attending this Media Open Call, contact Beth Newman, Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator at Heifer Ranch, by calling 501-889-5124 or e-mailing beth.newman@heifer.org.
Heifer Ranch is one of Heifer’s three U.S. learning centers, focusing on world hunger solutions, organic gardening and sustainable agricultural practices. At Heifer Ranch, over 28,000 visitors a year become familiar with the root causes of poverty and hunger and Heifer’s work to help the poor achieve self-reliance. Since 1944, Heifer has helped more than 7 million families in more than 125 countries move toward greater self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training in environmentally sound agriculture. The impact of each initial gift is multiplied as recipients agree to “pass on the gift” by giving one or more of their animal’s offspring, or the equivalent, to another in need. For more information on Heifer’s work, visit the website at www.heifer.org, or call 1-800-696-1918 for a free catalog.
Media Contacts:
Beth Newman, Heifer Ranch
501-889-5124
Jennifer Pierce
Heifer International
501-907-2952
Christine Volkmer
Carpenters & Associates
214-520-3666
