Auchan, SOS Team Up on Back-to-School Project to Support Children in Madagascar

Auchan Retail Luxembourg and SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde, a member of the SOS Children's Villages International federation, will once again run a joint back-to-school solidarity campaign this September, this time in support of vulnerable children in Madagascar.

The fundraising campaign, organised with the support of NHOOD Luxembourg, will take place from 1 to 17 September 2022 in the three Auchan hypermarkets in Luxembourg (Kirchberg, Differdange and Cloche d'Or) and in shops in Auchan shopping centres.

Auchan hypermarket customers will have the option of making a donation at the till or buying a solidarity product, i.e. a handmade canvas bag produced by communities supported by SOS in Africa, the full sale price of which will be donated to SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde. In the Auchan shopping centres, customers will also be able to make a donation in the SOS ballot boxes installed inside.

SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde is also organising two solidarity Saturdays: the first will take place at Kirchberg Shopping Center on 10 September 2022 and the second is being held at Cloche d'Or Shopping Center on 17 September 2022. Entertainment and a competition are on the agenda.

This solidarity campaign will support an emergency aid programme in response to the food crisis in Madagascar, a country threatened by the climate emergency. This project has been undertaken by a local SOS partner to support thousands of people, especially women and children, on the verge of starvation. It emphasises the essential issues of food security and access to water, but also economic strengthening (vocational training, etc.) and the fight against desertification.

At the end of August 2022, Sophie Glesener, Director of SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde, participated in the kick-off of the 2022 action with Jean-Luc Carré, Director of the Auchan Kirchberg hypermarket, Sébastien Mercier, Head of Operations at NHOOD Luxembourg, and Raphael Bouchet, Director of the Cloche d'Or Shopping Center. 

"Over the years, our lasting partnership has made it possible to help more and more children living in situations of extreme vulnerability. This is the case today in Madagascar where food insecurity and the climate emergency put their lives in danger. We must guarantee that they are protected, [have] enough to eat and [are] able to develop well within their families and communities", emphasised the campaign partners.

The 2021 campaign raised a total of €30,450, which made it possible to distribute food to 1,120 families affected by war in the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia.