Unilever's Leading Detergent Brand OMO Launches Initiative to Help 10m Children Access Quality Education

LONDON, August 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

OMO launches 'Learning for Tomorrow' initiative in partnership with UNICEF to help more children access new learning experiences 

Today OMO (known as Persil in the UK and Surf Excel in India) launches the Learning for Tomorrow Initiative, its first step in committing to help improve the future of children around the world and support them in reaching their full potential through access to quality education and new learning experiences.

Currently, there are 130 million children in education who will reach grade four, but fail to learn the basic reading, math, writing and social skills they need to achieve their full potential. Furthermore, an additional 58 million children are out of school globally without access basic education.

As one of Unilever's sustainable living brands, OMO plays an important part in Unilever's vision of a more sustainable future.  Unilever is putting sustainable living at the centre of everything it does - working to create a better future through its brands.

This year, the OMO Learning for Tomorrow Initiative will partner with UNICEF, the leading UN humanitarian and development agency for children.

Aline Santos, Global Senior Vice President for OMO said: "For much of its history, OMO helped parents prepare their children for the future by encouraging them to learn and develop by exploration and experimentation, with no worries of getting dirty. Child development has always been at the heart of our brand. The OMO Learning for Tomorrow Initiative with UNICEF is part of our commitment to ensure every child has the chance to experience quality education, broaden their life skills and begin building their own bright future."

The initiative is funded with an initial €1.4 million donation from OMO and Unilever Global Partnerships, which will contribute to UNICEF's education programmes, providing access to quality education for 10 million children in Brazil, India and Vietnam. It will expand the initiative to further markets in 2016 and beyond.

"Education is a human right. It is also one of the most powerful tools for creating economic growth" said Jorge Olague, UNICEF Head of Private Sector Fundraising. "But childhood learning is facing a crisis. Millions of children are out of school and for many, they sit in a classroom each day but do not receive the quality education they need to attain their full potential. Access to education of poor quality is tantamount to no education at all. UNICEF welcomes this partnership as a means of advancing childhood development through quality education and helping us to ensure that no child is left behind."

To introduce the Learning for Tomorrow Initiative, OMO has commissioned BAFTA-nominated director Amanda Blue to create the 'First Day' film, a short documentary in which mothers discuss the momentous milestone of their child's first day at school. The film is available to watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnBsu8kSOgw.

Nitin Paranjpe, President of Home Care Business for Unilever said: "Every child has the right to a quality education and the life opportunities it can bring. Working with UNICEF on the Learning for Tomorrow initiative is a way for us to help every child get in school and feel ready to build a bright and secure future for themselves. It is also another example of how Unilever is using partnerships with other organisations to make a positive and lasting social impact all over the world."

To find out more about the Learning for Tomorrow Initiative or read about OMO's partnership with UNICEF visit http://www.persil.co.uk/Learning-For-Tomorrow, http://www.unilever.com or http://www.unicef.org.uk.

NOTES FOR EDITORS  

OMO is supporting all of UNICEF's education programmes in Brazil, India and Vietnam, which includes:

BRAZIL

• National Out-of-school Children Initiative and Campaign: Social mobilisation and communication campaigns around the children's right to education based on research evidence.
• Learning Achievements and Quality Education: Promote quality education, from preschoolers to adolescents through a range of activities, including curriculum implementation, literacy promotion, mobilisation of municipalities etc.
• Education Plan in Amazonian Region (Educamazonia): Consolidated regional programme to promote the right to lean, involving state and local leaders, social organisations, and universities.

INDIA

• Right to Education and Child Friendly Schools: Public awareness campaign to increase the demand for quality education.
• Early Childhood Education:  Government and partners have the capacity to provide equitable access to quality Early Childhood Education.
• Teacher Education and Support System:  Pre-service and in-service training, improve retention and quality of learning in certain areas (e.g. remote areas).
• Quality Education with Equity: Support for inclusive education planning, including marginalised children, out of school, and prompting all duty bearers (civil society, coalitions) to demand quality education for vulnerable children.
• Adolescents and Gender Equality: Adolescents, especially girls, fully participate and are empowered to be involved in decision making that affects their lives.

VIETNAM

• Inclusive Education and Child Friendly Schools: Disadvantaged children benefit from an education system that provides quality and relevant inclusive education through evidence based policy.
• Education in Emergencies: Education managers undertake child-focused national education planning, monitoring and evaluation, and are prepared to respond to emergencies and climate change.
• Province-wide Programming: Disadvantaged children in eight provinces benefit from relevant and quality preschool and basic education supported by the Provincial Education Sector Plans.

ABOUT UNILEVER  

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2 billion consumers a day. It has 172,000 employees and generated sales of €48.4 billion in 2014. Over half (57%) of the company's footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has more than 400 brands found in homes around the world, including Persil (OMO), Dove, Knorr, Domestos, Hellmann's, Lipton, Wall's, PG Tips, Ben & Jerry's, Marmite, Magnum and Lynx.

Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) commits to:

• Decoupling growth from environmental impact.
• Helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.
• Enhancing the livelihoods of millions of people by 2020.

Unilever was ranked number one in its sector in the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In the FTSE4Good Index, it achieved the highest environmental score of 5. It led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the 2015 GlobeScan/Sustainability annual survey for the fifth year running, and in 2015 was ranked the most sustainable food and beverage company in Oxfam's Behind the Brands Scorecard.

Unilever has been named in LinkedIn's Top 3 most sought-after employers across all sectors.

For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit http://www.unilever.com. For more information on the USLP:http://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living.

ABOUT UNICEF  

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do.  Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. 

For further information about the Learning for Tomorrow Initiative contact:

Unilever Media Contact
Treeva Fenwick
Unilever Global Director of Media Relations
Email: Treeva.Fenwick@unilever.com

UNICEF Media Contact
Tania Dhakhwa, Communication Specialist
Phone: +41-22-9095243
Mail: tdhakhwa@unicef.org