Reckitt Benckiser (RB) announced a new $8 million global partnership with Save the Children for 2013. The partnership will target vulnerable children under the age of 5 through large-scale health, hygiene and child protection programmes, as well as provide local support in more than 40 countries around the world. 

This announcement builds on the ongoing partnership in India. While proper sanitation and hygiene are critical to reducing mortality and preventing under-nutrition among children, at least 60 percent of India's population defecate in the open which increases the burden of diseases and death among communities. Poor sanitation is responsible for vector borne diseases like malaria and diahorrea. In fact, the lack of sanitation is linked with both child protection and education.

The global initiative with Save the Children, ‘Healthier Kids, Happier World’, will see a mosaic of country-level activities to raise funds and awareness focused on big picture programmes that reach the most disadvantaged children in the hardest to reach places in the world. With RB offices in 60 countries, including India, signed up to support Save the Children, the efforts during the next year will make RB one of the charity’s biggest partners.

In India, RB will be enabling Save the Children to deliver a hygiene and sanitation programme. The programme is a long lasting initiative to improve the hygiene and sanitation facilities for the most marginalised urban and rural families in India for over four years by increasing access to clean and hygienic sanitation facilities and the knowledge to keep families, particularly girls, healthy. 

In addition to directly committing profits to the charity, RB is mobilizing its employees across the world to use their ideas and initiative to raise funds for the partnership. Globally the campaign will see thousands of RB employees involved in projects, such as renovating vital community health clinics, working with children and families locally in a range of capacities, raising funds by trekking across challenging terrains or a wide range of other local fundraising activities.

Chander Mohan Sethi, SV.P. South East Asia, Reckitt Benckiser said, “What makes this partnership special is that it is powered by our people who have been inspired by the Save the Children cause and are committed to making the lives of children better in their own countries and around the world. We are a company focused on impact and we want to make a great difference for vulnerable children here in India, but also in countries across the world.  We view ourselves as global citizens as well as local citizens in RB.”

“We aren’t simply raising and giving funds, we are creating a global movement within the organisation to save children’s lives,” says  Sethi.

Thomas Chandy, CEO, Save the Children said, “It is fantastic what RB India is doing for the children of India.  It’s making a real difference. The announcement of such a strong expanded global programme is a great reflection of what an international organisation can do to help children all over the world.  The organization is inspiring a great standard in supporting those more vulnerable around the world.”

Working closely with Save the Children, RB is building engaging activities that reflect individual needs in a variety of countries, but all build towards a concerted goal. The Save the Children relationship is part of RB’s commitment to help improve the health and hygiene for children and families across the world. It reflects a relationship which has been going steady for nearly a decade and has already reached over 1.5 million children and families.