With a total donation sum of 648,000 EUR for 2019 and 1,800 sponsored children all around the world, PM-International AG is the largest corporate sponsor of the relief, development, and advocacy organization World Vision. In the beginning of March, PM-International Charity Ambassador Vicki Sorg traveled to Peru to visit 112 of the sponsored children, this time accompanied by Founder and CEO Rolf Sorg.

The children live in three different World Vision Area Programs in the rural Huancavelica Region in the Peruvian Andes. Located at up to 4,450 meters altitude, they belong to the poorest and most fragile regions of the country, with the biggest developmental challenges being health, poverty, and education. The population in the Andean highlands mainly lives from agriculture, which is difficult due to poor soil and adverse climatic conditions. Approximately 25% of the adults cannot read and write, or just barely. Together with World Vision, PM-International commits to support education opportunities and a better nutrition and hygiene in order to permit a higher standard of living.

During their stay, Vicki and Rolf Sorg visited several communities and family homes to convince themselves of the progress of the regional projects. “I am impressed to see how World Vision has already been able to improve the living conditions – not only for our sponsored children, but for the region as a whole. Among others, our contribution helped to refurbish schools, provide teaching materials, and inform parents about how important education is for the future of their children,” says Vicki Sorg.

Rolf Sorg adds: “For me personally, this journey was a very humbling experience, as it gave me an impression of the extreme conditions our sponsored children face in their daily lives. Seeing the smiles on their faces reminded me once more of the important job my wife Vicki is doing. With sponsor visits like this one, we want to pave the way towards a better life for these children and future generations, spread cheer, and give them a birthday present to remember this day.”

For more than 15 years, PM-International and World Vision have been supporting children, their families, and communities in more than 50 long-term development projects all around the world, including Ghana, Cambodia, and India. The donations are realized thanks to the generous support of customers and distribution partners. Every product sold by PM-International gives children one “Hour of Life” and better opportunities for their future. As the company is growing, the number of sponsored children grows too. PM-International’s vision is to sponsor at least 10,000 children and engage in additional projects around the world.

Juliana Goessmann, Manager Corporate Engagement at World Vision Deutschland e.V.: “We are very proud of this long-standing partnership, because PM-International shares our core value: At World Vision, we are determined to empower people to support themselves. We always focus on the children, as they will be the ones continuing our work once we withdraw from the projects one day.”