Gucci-UNICEF partnership turns 10: Over 7.5 million children reap rewards | WPN World People News

More than 7.5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia have gained improved access to quality education through a 10-year partnership between Gucci and UNICEF. To mark this milestone, today Gucci released Growing Tall, a short film directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker and cinematographer Christina Voros that highlights the power of education to transform lives, especially for girls and women.

Growing Tall focuses on the personal experiences of children, teachers and parents in a rural community in Mozambique as they reflect on the progress made in education over the past decade. The number of children enrolled in primary schools in Mozambique increased from nearly 4 million in 2005 to 5.5 million in 2013. Worldwide, since 2000, 34 million more primary school-aged children have attended school than would have done so if earlier trends had continued. Despite this progress, some 58 million children of primary school age remain out of school, more than half of them are girls. And in sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 5 children are out of school.

“Gucci is proud to celebrate a decade of partnership with UNICEF with US$20 million donated, benefiting more than 7.5 million children to date,” said Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri. “We are especially grateful to all our clients and employees, who have played a fundamental role in the success of the partnership and helped to make it the most extensive philanthropic initiative in our company’s history. We look forward to continuing our commitment to UNICEF through the CHIME FOR CHANGE global girls’ and women’s empowerment campaign that Gucci founded in 2013.”

“UNICEF is grateful to Gucci and its employees for their commitment to improving children’s lives and futures through education,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “Every child should have a fair chance in life. That begins with a fair chance to learn. Through our long and successful partnership, Gucci has helped provide that chance to so many children who might otherwise be excluded – and in doing so, provided them with the tools to build a better world for themselves and their communities.”

During the past decade Gucci’s contribution to UNICEF’s work has focused on Schools for Africa, an initiative that expands access to quality education to girls, orphaned children and those living in extreme poverty. Through the partnership, Gucci has supported UNICEF’s efforts to increase primary school enrolment and influence national education policy by working with governments and partners in several countries including in Mozambique and Malawi.

Since 2005, Gucci’s support for education initiatives has helped UNICEF and its partners to:

• Train more than 8,700 teachers and educators, so that children receive a quality education and gain the skills and knowledge they need for their future

• Construct nearly 300 school classrooms, offering a safe and protective environment in which children can learn and play

• Supply 14,600 school desks, so children have a proper place to concentrate and learn

• Construct more than 1,800 water and sanitation facilities in schools, ensuring clean water for drinking and hygiene

• Work alongside governments to influence changes in education policy and advocate for improvements in the school curriculum.

Gucci will continue its commitment to UNICEF through the CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign. CHIME FOR CHANGE co-founder Salma Hayek Pinault recently launched ‘CHIME for the Children of Syria’, a fundraising appeal to help UNICEF provide children and families affected by the Syria crisis with learning opportunities and support services. In April, Hayek Pinault visited Syrian refugees in Lebanon to draw attention to the urgent humanitarian needs of children and families whose lives have been upended by the conflict in Syria over the past four years.

Source: United Nations Children's Fund