Groupon Australia Supporting Girls’ Empowerment In The Philippines

Groupon Australia Joins Forces With The World Food Programme To Fight Child Hunger And Support Girls’ Empowerment In The Philippines

SYDNEY – Groupon, the global pioneer in group buying and leader in social e-commerce, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, have combined forces to support the empowerment of girls in Asia through school meals programmes.

From today through to 12 April 2013, Groupon Australia is running a deal which calls on individuals to donate as little as AUD$5 to provide a child with daily WFP school meals for a month as well as a monthly family food ration to take home. Funds raised in Australia will assist school children in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Bopha. WFP partners on the Typhoon Bopha Emergency Relief Project (J764N) with Global Development Group (ABN 57 102 400 993), an Australian AusAID approved non-governmental organisation. WFP’s School Meals Programmes reach over 2.3 million girls in 14 countries across Asia.

Poverty and tradition often exclude girls from education; more than 36 million primary school-aged girls around the world don’t attend school. Combating hunger among children helps to improve school performance, close the gender gap in schools and empower girls by increasing their chances to have a brighter future. One nutritious meal a day promotes regular attendance, as a poor family needs to provide one less meal per day for their children, and also offsets the cost of education. WFP seeks to increase the percentage of girls going to school through targeted interventions, such as take-home rations, which are given to girls in return for regular school attendance and which benefit the entire family.

“We appreciate Groupon’s continuing commitment to fighting hunger in Asia, as well as the dedication of individuals across the region who support this partnership,” said Jay Aldous, WFP Director of Private Sector Partnerships.

“For many girls in poor communities, a school meal is the only food they will eat all day. Together with take-home rations, these meals act as a powerful investment in girls’ futures.”

Commenting on the campaign, Alistair Venn, Groupon, CEO of Groupon Australia said, “We are proud to be part of this worthy cause which empowers girls and fights hunger in Asia. Our commitment to providing our customers with amazing life experiences goes beyond providing outstanding services and products, but also to providing chances for them to make a difference in the lives of others. As we grow our support to the World Food Programme, not only are we fighting hunger, we are investing in Asia’s future.”

It only costs 25 AUD cents to feed a child a school meal, so every donation makes a difference. To purchase this deal (8 April – 12 April) and join Groupon and WFP in the fight against child hunger, click here.

For more information please contact:
Monica Salvitti, WFP/Sydney, [email protected], Tel. +61 450 044 713
Patricia Facultad, WFP/Bangkok, [email protected], Tel. +6626598653, +66819216573
Amy Glancey, Groupon Australia, Marketing Communications, [email protected], +6140218155

About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) is a global leader in local commerce, making it easy for people around the world to search and discover great businesses at unbeatable prices. Groupon is reinventing the traditional small business world by providing merchants with a suite of products and services, including customisable deal campaigns and merchant services to help them attract more customers and run their operations more effectively. By leveraging the company’s global relationships and scale, Groupon offers consumers incredible deals on the best stuff to eat, see, do and buy in 48 countries. For more information visit www.groupon.com.au

About WFP
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries. WFP works in 14 countries in Asia.
Follow us on Twitter @wfp_asia

About Global Development Group (GDG)
GDG takes responsibility of the project according to AusAID rules providing a governance role and assisting in the areas of planning, monitoring, evaluating and auditing to ensure the projects are carried out to AusAID requirements. Donations over AUD$2 to project J764N are tax deductible in Australia, and will be issued by GDG.