Global Children's Initiative
Volunteerism, creativity form the heart of JohnsonDiversey's social responsibility programs
Children at the North Tushino, Russia, Orphanage No.2 enjoy playing games with JohnsonDiversey employees who regularly visit them as part of the Global Children's Initiative.
Elena Tyulyuleva, Key Account Manager, prepares for an outing with children at a North Tushino, Russia, orphanage “adopted” by JohnsonDiversey’s Russia employees as part of the Global Children’s Initiative.
JohnsonDiversey's role as a leading global provider of cleaning and sanitation solutions to schools inspired the company to invest in schools and children worldwide as the central focus of its social responsibility commitments. Through our Global Children's Initiative, established five years ago, we team the passion and creativity of our employees worldwide with the needs of the world's children. We commit ourselves, by contributing time, supplies and expertise, to creating a cleaner, healthier future for the people who will inherit that future.
Through our Global Children's Initiative, we "adopt" schools in impoverished communities near each of our business operations. The activities we undertake with each school are tailored to the needs of the community.
Since the inception of the program, employees have donated storybooks for toddlers in China and Singapore and repaired outdoor play equipment in the Czech Republic. They installed play facilities at a refugee camp in Denmark and provided eyeglasses to children in Morocco. At an orphanage in Russia, we brought together our employees and our vendors' employees to shampoo carpets, clean furniture and play games with the children. Employees donated holiday treats and the gift of their time to severely handicapped children living in a group home in South Africa.
Children at our adopted school in Cibinong, Indonesia, practice the handwashing lessons.Bicycle helmets we donated for children in schools in Vietnam and Thailand have already saved several youngsters from severe head injuries in accidents.
Near our Global Headquarters in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, our leaders from several countries and disciplines talked with students about the importance of education, leadership and cross-cultural cooperation. In Egypt, we installed cooking appliances at a residential facility. In Kenya and Malaysia, we built washrooms. We've hosted art contests, soccer tournaments and nature adventures.
JohnsonDiversey has worked with the World Forum Foundation to identify schools in need of our help near locations where we have concentrations of employees. The World Forum Foundation is devoted to promoting an ongoing global exchange of ideas on the delivery of quality services to young children in diverse settings. JohnsonDiversey has worked with the World Forum Foundation on a variety of projects for nearly a decade.
"JohnsonDiversey's commitment goes beyond giving money to a cause. The program they have created builds direct connections between their employees and the children, and as such serves as an example to other organizations looking to make a difference in the communities where they do business," said Roger Neugebauer, Chief Operating Officer of the World Forum Foundation.
While the activities vary from location to location, year to year, they have a vital common denominator: the interaction of JohnsonDiversey employees with the children and staff of each school.
The two activities common to all our Global Children's Initiative sites are an annual "facilities day" when employees donate their time and talent to make improvements at the school, and an annual "Clean Hands" day, when we donate hand-soap dispensers, as well as our expertise and creativity to help children understand the vital role of good hand hygiene for health.
As part of its International Year of Sanitation, the World Health Organization declared October 15, 2008 to be the first-ever Global Handwashing Day. For JohnsonDiversey, however, it was not "first ever," but rather the fourth year in which we held Clean Hands Day programs at our adopted schools to help youngsters understand the critical role of handwashing in good health. The parameters of these programs were as broad as the ingenuity and interests of the employees who led them.
For example:
- Marketing and Human Resources staff in Turkey donned costumes and teamed with a professional acting coach to stage a short play about germs that make children sick. It was the centerpiece of a half-day extravaganza presented by JohnsonDiversey employees to the more than 200 students of the school in Kasimpasa. A JohnsonDiversey employee band provided music for the day, and children sang along to a Bug Blasters® ditty written to help make handwashing fun.
- Our Philippines team promoted events for more than 100 youngsters at the White Cross Children's Home in San Juan, Manila. The events included a puppet show and video, as well as the installation of hand-soap dispensers, and of course, hands-on practice in good washing protocols.
- At Clara Nunes Public Preschool near our Sao Paulo, Brazil offices, 280 children were entertained and taught by JohnsonDiversey clowns. A school official praisedthe approach.
"We feel that this initiative is most valuable, and the materials used in the presentation were well suited to the children's age. They could participate actively, making questions and comments from their own point of view. The team found a really fun way to teach the children about the importance of handwashing, and they reacted very well," said Célia Maria C. Viselli, the school's Pedagogic Coordinator.
- Ultraviolet lights used in conjunction with special hand cream that makes germs "glow" in the light were a hit at several locations. The 500 students at Pali Chimbai Municipal School in Mumbai, India were eager to use it.
"All the children were so eagerly raising their hands and standing up to try for themselves. It was a fun-filled, educational experience," said Mala Jhavar, who led the JohnsonDiversey team.