December 19, 2011: In a further commitment to UNICEF, Gucci recently announced a USD 1.15 million donation to UNICEF's "Schools for Africa" initiative in the name of its children’s collection. Founded in 2004 in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Peter Kramer Stiftung, UNICEF’s ‘Schools for Africa’ initiative aims to increase access to quality basic education for millions of children in Africa, with a special emphasis on helping the most disadvantaged – girls, orphans, children living in extreme poverty and other vulnerable children.
Inspired by a sense of commitment to the world’s children, and in the spirit of the company's 'Forever Now' philosophy, to date Gucci has contributed over USD 10 million to UNICEF and is currently one of the largest corporate donors to ‘Schools for Africa'. Through its efforts, Gucci has contributed to UNICEF and partners reaching more than 5.5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa with improved access to and quality of education.
Since the partnership's beginning, Giannini has created exclusive products from which a percentage of sales support UNICEF. In 2011, Giannini designed a new 'Gucci for UNICEF' Sukey bag and as in previous years, 25 per cent of the retail price of each bag sold will benefit UNICEF’s 'Schools for Africa' initiative. Sales from the 2010 Sukey bag generated a total contribution of USD 1.45 million. Earlier in 2011, Gucci made a USD 70,000 contribution to the initiative for the launch of its special edition U-Play watch.
Leila Pakkala, Director of UNICEF's Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division said, 'Gucci's donation will make a real difference for children. A good education helps enormously in paving the way to a successful and productive future, and investing in education will not only improve the lives of children today but also future generations. Our thanks go to Gucci both for this new generous donation and their ongoing commitment to our work for children."