In 2020, PM-International donates a record amount of 842.400 euros to World Vision. The donations generated through the „Give an Hour of Life” campaign support 2,300 sponsored children, their families, and whole communities around the world, among others in India, Peru, and Ghana.

The cheque handover ceremony was held during PM-International’s annual Christmas Gala in Alpbach, Austria. Charity Ambassador Vicki Sorg used this opportunity to thank the 1,000 participating leaders and distribution partners for their commitment: “World Vision is passionate about realizing measures that are sustainable and really make a difference for children and future generations. Being able to contribute to their work in the long term makes us proud and thankful. We want to set an example of hope, because every child has the right to develop in the best possible way.”

Empowering people to help themselves
Christoph Waffenschmidt, CEO of World Vision Germany, underlined what defines the long-term partnership of PM-International and World Vision: “We share a core value: Empowering people to help themselves. Thanks to this approach and through more than 60 regional development projects, we can permanently improve the livelihood of children. We are very glad that PM-International is sponsoring an additional 500 children starting in January 2020, making an even bigger contribution for a good and healthy future for children.”

Supporting 11.000 people in Peru
Since 2019, PM-International has been sponsoring a whole Area Program in Bundi, one of the most fragile regions in India. These long-term regional development projects are running for approximately 15 years. They are planned and implemented together with locals. From 2020 onwards, PM-International will sponsor a second Area Program and 500 additional children in the Peruvian Andes, with a total number of 11,000 beneficiaries. The project named Los Libertadores is located in the Ayacucho region. PM-International is the only corporate partner of World Vision sponsoring whole Area Programs. Sudhir Schröder, Head of Corporate Engagement at World Vision Germany: „In Los Libertadores, 30% of the people aged 15 years and older could not read or write at the start of the project. In 3,0000 meters of altitude, the climate is rough and barren. Nevertheless, 90% of the population need to earn their living from farming. That’s why we focus on education and supporting additional income streams. In order to reach the highest yields possible despite the difficult conditions for agriculture, the smallholder farmers are learning new cultivation methods and how to diversify their crop.” The project also includes renovating and equipping schools, educating teachers, and informing parents about the importance of education for their children’s future.

Outlook: 5,000 sponsored children until 2023
In the past 26 years, PM-International has donated 4.2 million euros to charity. 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: “During the next three years, we want to increase the number of sponsored children to 5,000. This gives us the opportunity to change more than 700,000 lives for the better,” explains Vicki Sorg.