UNESCO and Procter & Gamble's Always® Brand Renew Global Partnership to Empower Girls through Literacy Programmes

PARIS, December 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

UNESCO and Always® have extended their partnership by signing a new contract with a global scope covering 2013-2016. The cause-related marketing campaign places UNESCO messages about education on packages of Always feminine care products to support an innovative literacy programme in Senegal. It started in France in 2011 and rolled out to nine countries across Europe* this year.  Under the new agreement, it will expand to more countries around the world and replicate the literacy programme in Senegal and other developing countries.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121213/582678-a )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121213/582678-b )

"We have gathered here today because we share a deep conviction that girls and women are the face of change", said Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO. "We are proud to have Procter & Gamble as a key member of UNESCO's Global Partnership for Girls' and Women's Education. Since 2011, when we initiated this program and we are on track to deliver literacy education to 40,000 girls and young women in Senegal."

 "Our goal is to provide more than  two hundred million lessons - including puberty education  by 2016 in Africa and in other parts of the world where it is needed the most", said Steve Bishop, Group President of P&G's Global Feminine Care Division.

 "With this campaign we will create a Global Sisterhood movement where girls and young women help and support each other, and in turn help the community, forming genuine bonds through the liberating power of education", concluded, Mr. Bishop.

Always®, the world's leading feminine protection brand, is dedicated to advocating for and empowering women to live life to their full potential from the very beginning of puberty through their adult lives. Together, Always® and UNESCO plan to reach more than one million girls and young women through their digital platforms to raise awareness, drive advocacy and enable dialogue and participation about this critical cause.

* The UNESCO Always programme is being activated in 2011/2012 in 9 countries across Europe: France, Sweden, Danmark, Finland, Norway, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Bosnia.

The power of education

•    An extra year of primary school boosts girls eventual wages by 10-20%

•    An extra year of secondary school education boost girls eventual wages by 15-251

•    When women and girls earn income, they reinvest 90% of it into their families

•    HIV and AIDS spreads twice as fast among uneducated girls as among girls with even some schooling

About P&G

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands.  The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®.  With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

About UNESCO

UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education. Its work encompasses educational development from pre-school through primary, secondary and higher education, including technical and vocational education and training, non-formal education and adult learning. UNESCO is committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide, the realization of everyone's right to education, and the belief that education plays a fundamental role in human, social and economic development. For more information, please visit http://www.unesco.org/education

SOURCE P&G & UNESCO