MSC Cruises has announced that, as part of its partnership with UNICEF, it has raised €6.5 million to date through generous donations from its customers. The funds raised have been used to provide malnourished children with a specific therapeutic food called “Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF),” such as Plumpy'Nut®, with more than two million RUTF sachets delivered to children in Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, and Malawi. The company also recently shipped six containers with more than 22,000 essential supplies to support the relief effort in Malawi.
Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, stated: “We are thrilled to have reached this new milestone, and it is thanks to the generosity of our guests. As a family-owned company, we care deeply about the well-being of families around the world. Through the funds raised on board our ships, thanks to our Get on Board for Children initiative, we provide life-saving food to malnourished children worldwide, where and when they need it most.”.
The partnership between MSC Cruises and UNICEF began in 2009, and together they launched the global initiative “Get on Board for Children” to help malnourished children in developing or crisis-affected countries. The initiative encourages MSC Cruises guests across its fleet to make a donation to UNICEF. To date, more than 6,300 children have been helped in Somalia, more than 9,400 in South Sudan and Ethiopia, and, most recently, more than 41,500 in Malawi.
Facing multiple challenges such as food shortages, floods, stagnant economies, and prolonged droughts, the need for food aid in these countries is crucial, especially for children. Through this partnership, MSC Cruises and UNICEF are working together to combat hunger and have already helped improve the lives of nearly 67,000 children and their families since 2014. This year, 54,053 cases of severe acute malnutrition have been recorded in Malawi, where MSC Cruises is the only corporate partner working to support the region, helping UNICEF reach more than 40% of the country's severely malnourished children. The generosity of MSC Cruises customers has been further amplified by an additional donation of more than 22,000 essential items directly to Malawi to aid in the relief effort. The six containers will arrive this month aboard one of MSC Cargo's ships.
Vago added: “Earlier this year, when I visited the UNICEF camp in Malawi, I was able to see with my own eyes how we can influence the lives of so many children and I came back even more committed to the program we run with UNICEF.”
Elisabeth Muller, UNICEF Executive Director in Switzerland, explains the decision to focus aid on Malawi: “After a prolonged drought in 2014, Malawi was devastated by severe flooding in early 2015 that submerged villages, homes, crops, and livestock. These weather conditions, combined with El Niño, the warming of the Pacific Ocean over the past 50 years, have wreaked havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children. These hardships have increased children’s vulnerability to malnutrition and have plunged Malawi into its worst food crisis in the last decade.” “Malawi is experiencing its worst food crisis in more than a decade, with 6.5 million people, including 3.5 million children, currently affected and in need of food assistance in 24 districts. The nutritional situation of children under five in Malawi is very precarious, with a significant risk of further deterioration due to the country’s food situation. Acute malnutrition is the most dangerous aspect and currently affects 100,000 children. These children, especially those under two, are at high risk of death,” Muller stated.
With the aim of continuing to raise awareness about this issue on board its ships, MSC Cruises organizes educational and entertaining activities for children and parents. Every week, the program on board all of the company's ships includes a day dedicated to UNICEF, with fun games, a parade, and the distribution of a brochure to educate children about malnutrition worldwide. They also receive a UNICEF Global Citizen passport, which is stamped after completing each educational activity, making them ambassadors for children's rights around the world.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, with 70 years of experience in development cooperation and emergency relief, works to ensure the survival and well-being of children worldwide. Its areas of focus include health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, and the protection of children from abuse, exploitation, violence, and HIV/AIDS. Through its programs, UNICEF operates in more than 190 countries and territories. This new fundraising milestone underscores the ongoing commitment of MSC Cruises and its guests to help and make a positive impact through the "Get on Board for Children" initiative
