Ho Chi Minh City, 14th January 2009 – Today, at a ceremony to mark its 5th anniversary, the Unilever Vietnam Foundation (UVF) has officially announced grants for 25 projects on health and hygiene in 2008. This is an annual activity of UVF to improve the sanitation and hygiene habits of Vietnamese people, especially of people in rural areas who are suffering many difficulties.
The total grant to these 25 projects is VND 5,107,500,000, of which, six projects focus on community health and hygiene , eight projects on clean water supply and 11 projects on education and communication for community health and hygiene.
There was a significant increase in the number of projects submitted to UVF in 2008, and the number of successful projects selected to receive grants is also greater than ever. This increase demonstrates the growing concern of the whole community in social issues, which are addressed in these projects, as these issues represent the difficulties of people in rural areas and those who are suffering many difficulties in remote areas. At present, there are many people struggling to gain access to even the most basic levels of hygiene and health care. In this context, it is imperative that organizations, enterprises, individuals and society as a whole take action, and UVF is no exception.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Marijin van Tiggelen, Chairman of Unilever Vietnam and UVF said, “The establishment of UVF has in part contributed to the positive changes in the lives of Vietnamese people, especially women, children and those who live in far and remote areas and extremely difficult areas. We have clearly recognized the humanity and spirit of sharing with the community in these projects; people are taking the initiative in searching for practical and helpful solutions for the community to overcome difficulties. This is also the motivation for us to be even more passinate in seeking out and supporting projects in social activities”.
“2008 has been a year of challenges and difficulties in the Vietnam economy, especially affecting poor people. Therefore, businesses have to be more active and take the initiative in demonstrating their social and community roles. If corporate social responsibility was a nice additional activity for enterprises before, it has now become a must for businesses to make their meaningful contributions to the economy, society and community. True to these objectives, UVF has remarkably increased the budget for its annual grant projects, in addition to its long-term partnerships with Vietnam Government agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training and Vietnam’s Women Union”. Mr. Marijin Van Tiggelen said.
These 25 projects, which will be implemented in 2009 with support from UVF, will change the lives of thousands of Vietnamese people throughout the country. These projects will help improve health for people in rural areas by reducing diseases from polluted water and improving hygiene thanks to the enhancement of fresh water supplies, sanitation facilities, and hygiene practices. In adition, these projects will also help to raise the living standards of people in rural areas by building water supplies and more hygienic sanitation facilities, narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, reducing polluted environment conditions from raw sewage and emissions, as well as lessening organic pollution of water sources. (For more information on the successful projects, as well as the activities of UVF and its annual grant programs for Health and Hygiene, see the enclosed documents and report of UVF).
Since its establishment in 2004, UVF has made considerable contributions towards improving the lives of Vietnamese people. Over the last five years, with an accumulated budget of over VND 200 billion, a large number and variety of projects and programs have reached more than 5 million Vietnamese people throughout the country. From 2007, UVF has made an even greater committment of more than VND 70 billion a year for social and community activities. This announcement of the successful hygiene and health projects in 2008-2009 has once again demonstrated the commitment of Unilever to local communities and Vietnamese society as a whole. The efforts of Unilever Vietnam promise to contribute even more towards meeting the health and hygiene demands of Vietnamese people.
About Unilever Vietnam Foundation
Unilever Vietnam Foundation (UVF) is an initiative of Unilever and its companies in Vietnam. Founded in 2004, UVF’s objectives are to improve the lives of Vietnamese people by fulfilling the health and hygiene needs of the local people, executing and further enhancing the social and community activities of Unilever in Vietnam, of its brands and employees of Unilever in Vietnam.
The main activities of UVF are:
Long-term partnerships with Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and Training and Vietnam’s Women Union to implement three large programs: Improving community health and hygiene and hospital sanitation; Developing physical education for children; and Empowering Vietnamese women.
Annual grants for community hygiene and health projects.
Charitable activities such as supporting the Village of Hope, KOTO, and relief for victims of severe typhoons or floods, Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Centers for orphanages and disabled people, social centres, and many other charitable fund-raising activities of employees of Unilever Vietnam.
With its mission of “Adding vitality to life”, Unilever Vietnam is committed to integrating community activities into its business, and adhering to the motto of “Doing good for doing well”, by which, Unilever Vietnam with its brands, through UVF, commits to invest over VND 70 billion a year to social and community projects, with the objectives of improving the lives of Vietnamese people, especially women and children in far and remote areas.
