At
the end of 2012, MSC Cruises’ three-and-a-half year partnership
with UNICEF and their joint “Get
on Board for Children”
initiative raised $2.6-million for an project designed to combat
poverty and inequality by helping ensure that disadvantaged Brazilian
children gain access to quality education.
Since
July 2009, guests on board each ship in the MSC Cruises’ fleet
have been
invited to ‘get on board for children’ and
make a difference by offering a small UNICEF donation in addition to
their cruise
fare. These donations have had a huge impact on the
lives of thousands of children and young people living in Sao Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro and on thepublic policies
needed to create a more equal society.
The
program focuses on empowering communities through peer-to-peer
training, with more than 3,400 children and adolescents and 3,400
leaders from the 127 participating communities now trained as
ambassadors for the programme. This has led to the preparation of
over 60 local action plans to improve access and quality of education
services, half of which are already being implemented.
The
completion of the ‘get on board for children’ project ended
December 2012 by no means signals the end of MSC Cruises’
collaboration with UNICEF. As a family company based on family
values, MSC Cruises’ social priorities are children, families
and education, and the company will continue to work with UNICEF on a
new project set to be announced in early 2013.
