This Universal Children's Day, Be One in a Million
SLOUGH, England, November 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
RB's ambitious campaign to tackle children dying needlessly from diarrhoea calls for action
Each year, over 800,000 children[1] in countries such as India, Nigeria and Pakistan die from diarrhoea, claiming more lives than AIDS, malaria and measles combined.[2] Despite this, awareness of the true impact of diarrhoea in developing countries remains low.[3],[4] To help combat and raise awareness of these startling figures, RB - the world's leading global consumer health and hygiene company - alongside their charity partner Save the Children, have launched a new campaign, "#IGiveA to end deaths from diarrhoea", to raise funds to help put an end to children dying from this preventable disease.
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The social media campaign encourages users to 'take action to end deaths from diarrhoea' with the overall aim to reach 1,000,000 actions. For every action taken RB has committed to donate US $1 to Save the Children so that on-the-ground programmes can be implemented to tackle diarrhoea deaths in developing countries.
Speaking about the "#IGiveA to end deaths from diarrhoea" campaign, RB's Global Director of External Relations and Strategic Partnerships, Patty O'Hayer, said: "Diarrhoea is an uncomfortable subject for many, but our own embarrassment creates a lack of awareness about its severity and impact on young children in developing countries. The '#IGiveA to end deaths from diarrhoea' campaign is the first step of a multi-year ambition to end deaths from diarrhoea in some of the most impoverished areas of the world. We believe that every child has the right to reach their full potential and that hygiene and poor sanitation shouldn't stand in their way. To coincide with Universal Children's Day on November 20th, we're asking people around the world to take action against deaths from diarrhoea and show their support for the campaign to help put an end to this preventable disease."
The campaign is focused on 5 key actions - I Give A: second, share, shout, selfie and sign - each with its own specific online social media action. In the lead up to Universal Children's Day (20th November) the campaign is calling on people to focus on one campaign action - "I Give a Shout" - and join the Universal Children's Day Thunderclap in support of the campaign.
Douglas Rouse, Corporate Partnerships Director at Save the Children said: "We are excited to be involved with RB's campaign and hope lots of people show their support and take an action this Universal Children's Day. For every action taken, RB will donate one US dollar to enable Save the Children to help save the lives of thousands of children. Interventions can be simple; just one dollar could provide soap for a family of five living in Pakistan to wash their hands for a month to reduce the risk of diarrhoea. So each individual action really can make a life-changing difference."
To get involved in the campaign and take action please visit http://www.igivea.net. Every action you take counts and can help improve the lives of those who need help the most.
Notes to Editors:
ABOUT RB plc.
RB (formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser) is the world's leading consumer health and hygiene company. We work with the best people to challenge conventional thinking and keep giving people innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, through our brands like Nurofen, Strepsils, Mucinex, Dettol, Lysol, Harpic, Finish and Vanish.
For more information visit http://www.rb.com, Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/DiscoverRB
ABOUT SAVE THE CHILDREN
Save the Children works in more than 120 countries and helps to save children's lives, fight for their rights and help them fulfil their potential. For more information visit: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk
REFFERENCES
- Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality: an updated systematic analysis for 2010 with time trends since 2000, Li Liu, Hope L Johnson, Simon Cousens, Jamie Perin, Susana Scott, Joy E Lawn, Igor Rudan, Harry Campbell, Richard Cibulskis, Mengying Li, Colin Mathers, Robert E Black, for the Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group of WHO and UNICEF (http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673612605601.pdf?id=8b69abadd6dadf97:611e36da:13da249eee8:-4c911364228801518)
- UNICEF/WHO, Diarrhoea: Why children are still dying and what can be done, 2009. http://www.unicef.org/health/files/Final_Diarrhoea_Report_October_2009_final.pdf Last accessed 10 June, 2014.
- The Lancet, Volume 381, Issue 9876, Pages 1499 - 1506, 27 April 2013.
- The Lancet, Volume 381, Issue 9876, Pages 1487 - 1498, 27 April 2013.
SOURCE RB (formerly Reckitt Benckiser)
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