Three Partners, One Vision
In 2015, Save the Children teamed up with C&A and C&A Foundation to form a global partnership with the vision of achieving the extraordinary for children and families.
About C&A and C&A Foundation
C&A was founded in 1841 and since then has grown to become one of the world’s largest fashion retailers offering affordable fashion for the whole family. C&A Foundation is a corporate foundation, sharing the same heritage and values as C&A. It supports initiatives to transform the apparel industry, as well as initiatives to strengthen communities all over the world, aiming to improve lives and livelihoods wherever C&A operates.
A significant yearly funding of over €3 million ($3.5 million) from C&A Foundation towards Save the Children per year contributes to amplify the scope of the partnership. In addition to this funding, C&A involves its employees and customers in supporting the partnership, adding resources to further contribute to our joint vision: achieving the extraordinary for children and families.
"Since 2015, C&A Foundation has partnered with Save the Children to provide life-saving support and safe spaces to children and to build resilience in urban communities, particularly in apparel-producing countries in which we operate. We are proud to have supported responses to over 35 emergencies and look forward to building on these early successes in our collaboration in the years to come." "
- Leslie Johnston, Executive Director, C&A Foundation
"C&A and C&A Foundation have long history of supporting and strengthening communities, with a focus on helping families and especially children wherever we operate. As a bold advocate for children’s rights and with decades of experience working with children in crises situations worldwide, Save the Children has the expertise to create Child Friendly Spaces that are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of children. Child Friendly Spaces give back a sense of normality and safety to children and assist them in rebuilding their lives."
- Jeffrey Hogue, Chief Sustainability Officer, C&A
Our Programmatic Work
The global partnership between Save the Children, C&A and C&A Foundation targets two key focus areas:
(1) EMERGENCY RESPONSE: Our humanitarian relief activities provide fast and life-saving aid in the aftermath of disasters. Thanks to the contribution by C&A Foundation, Save the Children was able to respond to over 60 emergencies since 2015 and will continue to do so.
(2) RESILIENCE-BUILDING: With our resilience-building projects in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India and Mexico, we increased the ability of over 130,000 children and their families to withstand and recover from stresses and shocks. In the new phase 2018-2023, we aim at increasing the capacities and preparedness in disaster risk reduction of around 185,000 additional beneficiaries.
Children's Emergency Fund
One new aspect of our partnership is the Swiss Children's Emergency Fund, co-founded by C&A Foundation, which donors can contribute to in advance of an emergency. This allows us to quickly respond to an emergency (within 48 hours), which in turn helps us save lives and alleviate suffering.
Customer and Employee Engagement
In addition to the yearly funding, C&A engages its employees and customers to create a broad movement advocating for children's rights. Throughout C&A's stores, customers learn about our partnership, purchase products that trigger a donation and make financial contributions to our work.
Right from the beginning of the partnership in 2015, C&A provided the opportunity for its employees to be actively engaged in campaigning for children's rights. This includes field trips to supported projects and yearly fundraising campaigns. When crises strike, C&A employees can also use an online emergency fundraising tool to support Save the Children's humanitarian relief activities, like our work in Mexico after the devastating earthquakes in 2017.
Spotlight: Resilience-Building in Bangladesh
C&A Foundation supports innovative, multi-year Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Resilience programs that combine preparedness, awareness building and behavioral change through activities within education, livelihood or access to basic services. One of these is "Proyash II Building Urban Resilience in Dhaka & Chattogram" funded by C&A Foundation. The project, situated in Dhaka, Bangladesh, strives for cleaner, greener and safer cities for children and youth. In Bangladesh, 38 percent of the urban population is living in slums. Compared to the rest of the population, slum dwellers are at a higher risk of suffering from perils such as fires, collapsing buildings or hazardous waste. Women and children are the most vulnerable, since they are systematically excluded from education and disaster risk reduction activities.
The Proyash project aims at increasing the capacities of women and children living in urban slums, local government and the private sector on disaster risk reduction and equips women and children with life-saving skills, enabling them to cope with the risks they are facing. The project will work to develop and train community-based disaster management committees, women, children and other community members. To sustain the effort, these local committees and groups will be trained and linked with the city corporation and municipalities.
This is an excellent and unique partnership as it it combines C&A Foundation’s funding potential, Save the Children’s operational expertise and C&A’s global business reach to deliver lasting change for children. In times characterized by an ever-growing number of crises and disasters, innovative and devoted partnerships such as the one between C&A, C&A Foundation and Save the Children are much needed to achieve the extraordinary for children and families.