Mars Inc. and Save the Children
Emergency Response
Children play the Mine Danger board game during a mine awareness session in Kyiv region
Immediately following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mars, Incorporated contributed to Save the Children’s Emergency Fund to help provide support to children and families in Ukraine. Our response includes child protection, health services, education, nutrition services, cash assistance, supply distributions, wash services, and mental health and psychosocial support. This support also helped families fleeing to neighboring countries, including Romania, Poland and Lithuania, as well as host communities and local and national social systems.
Eda*, 10 (in orange) and Ayse*, 6 (to the left in pink) participate in activities with other children and Save the Children staff
Mars Incorporated’s generous support to our earthquake response in Türkiye and Syria was vital to our efforts in supporting children and their families. Our relief services and assistance provided helped ensure the needs of conflict-affected children were met urgently.
Cocoa for Generations
A portrait of Atika, 12, at her family’s farm in drought-affected East Sumba, Indonesia.
Mars Wrigley and Save the Children’s Center for Utilizing Behavioral Insights for Children (CUBIC) work together to create behavior change in cocoa and sugar producing communities in Cote d’Ivoire, India and Indonesia. Using the Behavioral Science Approach, we aim to help protect children from hazardous labor and build a modern and inclusive supply chain. Hazardous labor practices, which may be present in cocoa and sugar cane supply chains, may threaten children’s physical and mental development, increases their risk of dropping out of school and limits future employment opportunities.
Both the cocoa projects in Cote d’Ivoire and Indonesia are in early stages. By program completion, we estimate we will have reached 20,000 people across 10 villages in Cote d’Ivoire and 30 villages across South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. In India, we are in the process of identifying an appropriate sugarcane supply partner.
Employee Engagement and Skills-Based Volunteers
Mariam* checking the items included in a hygiene kit.
Mars Incorporated’s generous support to our earthquake response in Türkiye and Syria was vital to our efforts in supporting children and their families. Our relief services and assistance provided helped ensure the needs of conflict-affected children were met urgently.
Tablet distribution in Italy by Save the Children
Over the years, Mars Wrigley associates have been able to support our multifaceted partnership through skills-based volunteering. Their expertise, knowledge, and skillsets have helped our programming globally by working directly with our staff on strategic initiatives as well as direct implementation. The engagement between associates and beneficiaries allows Save the Children to advance our efforts around the world.
“I think the most important thing for me was the exchange of experiences. I am glad that I could share my knowledge with the project participants. It was clear that the participants immediately implemented the feedback we gave them. They prepared fantastic materials, and I am happy that I could be part of this success. On the other hand, I learned a lot from them. I understood the problems they faced. I feel inspired to share my experiences and help.” - Katarzyna Nowak, Children and Youth Advisory Network Assignment
School Health and Nutrition
For more than a decade, the Mars Wrigley Foundation and Save the Children have worked together to support the improvement of children’s health through holistic oral health education and care in areas where people face very real challenges to their basic health, happiness, and wellbeing. Since 2011, the Mars Wrigley Foundation has supported a holistic school health, oral health, and nutrition program that gives health training to thousands of teachers and improves access to dental services for children. Together, we have reached 3.4 million children, parents, teachers, and oral health workers, and have delivered over 500,000 oral health services in 6 countries.
Save the Children remains grateful for the Mars Wrigley Foundation’s generous support, and for their dedication to the cause of providing underserved children with vital wellbeing and oral health services. Today we are working together in Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam to improve children’s overall wellbeing through oral health, providing nutrition training for teachers and needed dental services. A recent $3M, 3-year expansion of the Foundation’s Healthier Smiles program ensures continued support for Save the Children’s holistic oral health and nutrition training for teachers and needed dental services for underserved children in Asia.
Emergency Response
Aslı* 9, with her favorite doll
Mars Wrigley Foundation supported our crisis responses for COVID-19. The pandemic deepened poverty and impacted water, sanitation, and food security, making accessing health, hygiene, and education resources more difficult. The sudden shift to remote learning caused challenges, as many schools were ill-equipped to handle the unexpected change. Mars Wrigley Foundation’s contribution allowed us to provide medical and household essentials and educational support including virtual school assignments to communities in the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and India.
Mars Wrigley Foundation’s generous support also aided our emergency responses in Türkiye and Syria. Their support in our emergency response efforts has enabled us to work on a broad range of child rights issues and supports activities such as capacity strengthening, case management and psychosocial support. Save the Children is scaling up WASH, child protection, cash and social protection, education, nutrition, and shelter activities.