London associates at Starwood Hotels & Resorts raise £15,525 to support UNICEF education projects in Ethiopia
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- Category: Hotel
- Created on Friday, 20 July 2012 09:22
A total of 196 associates from the company’s seven London hotels including W London – Leicester Square, Le Méridien Piccadilly and Sheraton Park Tower, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Knightsbridge, took part in the event either running, walking or cycling a half or full marathon. Further associate fundraising initiatives including bake sales, a tug of war and an online auction also took place throughout April and May.
The Starwood London 2012 Challenge is just one element of the Road to Awareness campaign, which includes local fundraising initiatives across hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EAME). In addition, a three day bike ride takes place annually in August which sees a group of senior Starwood leaders and other hotel representatives from across EAME tackle some of the toughest climbs on the route of the Tour de France. This year the bike ride will start in Chamonix and follow the 570 kilometre route to Monte Carlo, during which participants will climb 170 kilometres and a gradient of 9,000 metres.
All money raised during Starwood’s Road to Awareness campaign will go to UNICEF’s Early Childhood Care and Education programme in Ethiopia. The aim of the project is to provide the most disadvantaged children in rural communities with pre-primary education so that they are better prepared to start going to school. In Ethiopia, over 80 per cent of the population live in rural communities and many children have to survive on less than US$1 a day. A lack of education and no access to pre-school is seen as one of the key barriers to a child not being able to reach their full potential and escape a life of poverty. Starwood’s support will contribute to the construction of 10 pre-schools, provide pre-school education to up to 50,000 children aged six and enable UNICEF to train 10,000 young instructors to aide their learning.
Michael Wale, Senior Vice President, Western Europe said: “I would like to congratulate all those involved in the Starwood London 2012 Challenge, from those who took part to those who planned the event and looked after our associates with refreshments and much needed massages on their return! Road to Awareness is a truly worthy cause and we are delighted that our actions in London will benefit thousands of disadvantaged children in Ethopia.”
In 2011, Starwood raised over US$600,000 through the Road to Awareness campaign which helped to support UNICEF projects in Romania and Pakistan, directly benefiting some 150 schools in these two countries.
UNICEF UK Director and Chief Executive David Bull said: “UNICEF is incredibly proud of our long and successful partnership with Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Together, we are achieving phenomenal results for children. For over 16 years, our partnership has served as a strong and unique example of our shared values and commitment to creating a world fit for children.”
“We believe that every child has the right to go to school. That is why we have chosen to focus on providing children in need with access to education. We are convinced that for these children education is the door that opens opportunities and will enable them to become fully independent members of society,” Roeland Vos, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts for Europe, Africa & Middle East says. “It is thanks to the amazing efforts and ongoing commitment of our enthusiastic hotel teams, cyclists and supportive partners that, together with UNICEF, we will be able to make a huge difference to the lives of children in Ethiopia.”
