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Mars Ireland announces partnership with SOS Children’s Villages in ‘Chew for Change’ campaign

Posted on: 11 Aug 2022

Mars Ireland is delighted to announce a new 3-year partnership with SOS Children’s Villages for the ‘Chew for Change’ initiative, through the Mars’ Extra® chewing gum line, running for 10 weeks from 15 August 2022.

 

The two organisations will be working together to continue Extra®’s decade long Chew for Change campaign, that provides oral health care to children in Botswana, with funding also going towards the delivery of support programmes to vulnerable families in Chipata, Zambia. Mars Ireland will make a minimum donation of €40,000 per year to SOS Children’s Villages, based on Extra® units sold in the Republic of Ireland, building on the success of the campaign in the Nordic countries to date. 

 

Together with SOS Children’s Villages, Extra® runs the Oral Health Programme in Botswana. The aim of the project is to spread knowledge about good dental hygiene to 16,000 children each year. The Programme helps to strengthen dental health awareness among teachers, caregivers and other health personnel so that they can pass the knowledge on to children. The dental health project is entirely funded by Extra® and donations made from the Chew for Change campaign will go towards everything from project managers and teaching materials to toothbrushes and toothpaste.

 

Extra® is also an important partner in SOS Children’s Villages work supporting vulnerable families in Chipata, Zambia. Here Extra® helps to ensure that families do not break down as a result of poverty, illness or death.  SOS works with families who need support to take care of their children and provides family counselling, health follow-up and support into education or ways to make a living. Each family receives tailored support based on their unique situation. However, the objective is the same for everyone – to ensure every individual in a family is supported so they can then support each other in the long term. This is how socially sustainable communities are built.

 

Welcoming the launch of the new initiative, Nicola Forde, Corporate Affairs Manager at Mars Multisales Ireland said:

 

“We are thrilled to launch this new partnership here in Ireland and work with SOS Children's Villages to support communities and children globally to improve their oral health through the Chew for Change Campaign. We are also delighted to contribute to SOS Children’s Villages important family strengthening programs, which through poverty proofing initiatives such as education and community development programs enable children to receive the healthy and secure start to life that they deserve. With both of these programs, SOS is making a positive and healthy difference in the life of a child and helping to build a better world for generations to come, which is something Mars Ireland is very proud to support.”

 

Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages in the UK said: “The link between poverty and poor dental health is so stark and that’s why partnerships like this can make all the difference to children’s welfare and happiness. We’re delighted that this partnership between Mars Ireland has the potential to reach so many children.”