Aviva plc today announces the launch of Aviva Street to School, its new international community investment programme.
- Aviva to commit at least 50% of its worldwide charitable donations budget to Aviva Street to School, alongside significant customer involvement
- UK charity partnership launched today with Railway Children
- Aviva Street to School to be rolled out internationally with additional charity partners.
Aviva plc (Aviva) today announces the launch of Aviva Street to School, its new international community investment programme. This programme aims to improve the lives of thousands of street children and young people around the world by helping them get off the streets and into education and training.
The programme will run for a minimum of five years from 2010, and will include support for street children projects in the 28 markets that Aviva operates in around the world as well as staff fund-raising and volunteering opportunities. Aviva will also engage its customers in Aviva Street to School.
Aviva’s businesses around the world will select local charity partners to support the needs of children living or working on the streets in their country. As part of this, Aviva today launches its UK charity partnership with Railway Children whose work focuses on the relief of the estimated 100,000 children and young people under the age of 16 who run away from home each year in the UK. Aviva will support two areas of Railway Children’s work: offering immediate support to young people already on the street; and setting up preventative and early intervention programmes through schools.
In addition, Aviva has chosen to work with Save the Children as its international charity partner and will support its Aviva Street to School programmes in India.
Marie Sigsworth, group corporate responsibility director, Aviva, said: “Aviva Street to School enables us to use the strength and scale of Aviva as an international group to make a difference where it really matters. Children living and working on the streets is a global issue, and we want to recognise these children. We look forward to working with Railway Children and our other charity partners to help build a better future for these young people.”
Terina Keene, chief executive, Railway Children, commented: “We all share the responsibility of helping society’s most marginalised and vulnerable, which is why our new UK partnership with Aviva Street to School is such a critical step in the right direction. As evidenced by the research we have published today, effective early intervention hangs on our commitment to understand the harsh realities of street life, and the needs of children and their families most at risk. Without this, society will continue to pay as support services struggle to protect the most vulnerable.”
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Enquiries:
Vanessa Rhodes, senior group media relations manager, Aviva
+44 (0)20 7662 2482
Nick Woodruff, Finsbury
+44 (0)20 7251 3801
Notes to editors:
About Aviva
- Aviva is the world’s fifth largest# insurance group, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
- Aviva's main business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of £51.4 billion and funds under management of £381 billion at 31 December 2008.
- We are the largest insurance services provider in the UK and one of the leading providers of life and pension products in Europe.
- Aviva Street to School charity partners are Save the Children and CRY (Child Rights and You) in India, and Railway Children in the UK.
- Visit our Street to School section on www.aviva.com at: www.aviva.com/corporate-responsibility/street-to-school
- The Aviva corporate responsibility report is available to download at www.aviva.com/corporate-responsibility
- The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media includes images, company and product information and a news release archive.
# based on gross worldwide premiums at 31 December 2008
About Save the Children
- Save the Children is the leading independent organisation working to ensure the rights of children in over 120 countries around the world.
- Aviva and Save the Children are proud to be working together on the Aviva Street to School initiative in India. In Delhi and Kolkata alone there are over 200,000 street children – children who are vulnerable and often denied their basic rights to education, protection and health.
- Through Aviva Street to School, Aviva and Save the Children are tackling this problem by offering street children, ranging from six to 18, the opportunity to access age-appropriate formal education and vocational opportunities. The sustainable and long-term Street to School plan will have far reaching benefits for both the children involved and the communities they live in.
- For more information please visit www.savethechildren.in
About Railway Children
- Railway Children focuses its work specifically on the relief of children and young people living alone and at risk on the streets. It also chairs the English Coalition for Runaways.
- For more information, visit www.railwaychildren.org.uk