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 the public 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.
Source: MSC
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