Mars Wrigley Ireland is delighted to announce the return of the ‘Chew for Change’ initiative for its second year through the Mars’ Extra® chewing gum line. The campaign is run in Partnership with SOS Children’s Villages and will run for ten weeks from May 1st to July 9th across all major retailers nationwide. Mars will donate a minimum of €40,000, a portion of Extra Chewing gum sales in that time period.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in the world, despite being almost entirely preventable – between 60 and 90%* of all school-going children are impacted by dental cavities, with tooth decay particularly prevalent in disadvantaged communities globally.
The SOS Children’s Villages Oral Health Programme uses donations to fund:
- Training and support for project managers in communities
- Supply teaching materials, and providing toothbrushes and toothpaste
- Hosting training programmes for teachers, caregivers, and health personnel so that they can pass this knowledge on to the children in their community.
While this is the second year for the campaign in Ireland, Mars has partnered with SOS Villages for 11 years helping 16,000 children each year in rural Botswana. The Chew for Change campaign raised €40,000 in Ireland in 2022, which Mars Ireland are hoping to exceed this year.
Welcoming the return of the Chew for Change campaign, Anne Sheeran, Corporate Affairs Specialist at Mars Multisales Ireland said: “Mars Wrigley Ireland are delighted to kick off this year’s Chew for Change campaign and continue our work with SOS Children’s Villages. Poor dental hygiene can have a serious impact on a person’s health and wellbeing, which is why the Chew for Change is such an important campaign, and one that we are proud to support.”
Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages in the UK said: “Dental hygiene in many rural and poverty-stricken areas around the globe is a result of a lack of health education and a lack of access to adequate cleaning products. That is why this partnership between Mars Wrigley Extra and SOS Children’s Villages is so important – because together we can provide the education and access to dental healthcare that is so very much needed”
In addition, Extra® is also an important funding partner in SOS Children’s Village’s work supporting vulnerable families in Chipata, Zambia via their Family Strengthening Programme. The aim of the programme is to alleviate hardship and maintain family stability by developing socially sustainable communities that support individuals and families to thrive. Working directly with families and communities, this programme provides tailored supports to address the immediate and longer-term needs of these vulnerable families, including:
- Access to dental healthcare, general healthcare and nutritional services
- The development and funding of small business and micro enterprise initiatives
- Skills training and education supports
- Community development programmes
