Mathias Santerre, Auchan Kirchberg Director, and Manuel Filipe, Kirchberg Shopping Centre Director, together with those responsible for the campaign and several cashiers, present a cheque to Sophie Glesener, SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde Director;
Credit: SOSVEM
On Wednesday 20 November 2024, SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde reported that it had received a cheque for €11,450 from Auchan Retail Luxembourg, in support of children in Ethiopia.
Auchan Retail Luxembourg organised its 17th traditional back-to-school action from 12 to 28 September 2024 in its three Auchan hypermarkets, located in the Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Differdange and Cloche d'Or shopping centres. Customers responded to the call for solidarity, which was launched this year in favour of vulnerable children in Ethiopia. In the presence of the cash register team, Mathias Santerre, Director of Auchan Kirchberg, and Manuel Filipe, Director of the Kirchberg Shopping Centre, welcomed Sophie Glesener, Director of SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde, to present her with a cheque for €11,450. This money will support a programme designed to assist 150 households, including children under five, suffering from acute malnutrition, living in the Oromia region of southern Ethiopia.
Through the cultivation of nutrient-rich vegetables, beekeeping and a donation of goats, the project strengthens the food and nutritional security of families, by improving their livelihoods and diet as well as diversifying their sources of income. The partners reported that the initiative has already facilitated the distribution of 600 goats, 150 transitional hives with transfer of bee colonies, the planting of 150 trees (moringa) and the provision of tens of thousands of seeds (carrots, green vegetables, mung beans). In addition, it has created fifteen savings and credit groups for 150 women, with training provided in financial and business management.
Ms Glesener said: "We thank Auchan Luxembourg, Nhood, Iko Real Estate, the volunteers and all those who contributed to the success of this vital action for countless children who live in emergency situations and are deprived of their rights and appropriate nutrition."
On World Children's Day, celebrated on 20 November, she recalled that it is important to come together around the inalienable rights of children, as defined by the United Nations International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2024.
The SOS Villages d'Enfants Monde team will return to the Cloche d'Or Shopping Centre on Tuesday 3 December for the organisation’s upcoming #GivingTuesday 2024 campaign.
