Cotton On launches #IGiveABrick campaign
21st November, 2014
Cotton On has officially launched its #IGiveABrick campaign, setting a target to raise $1 Million before the end of 2014 to build a new school in Nubbunga, Southern Uganda.
Driven by the Cotton On Foundation’s mission to develop 20,000 educational places in the country by 2020 in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal , the new building will double the existing school’s current capacity to 500 educational places.
Well known Australian personalities have lent their support to the initiative, including Pia Miller, Nadia and Jimmy Bartel, Joel Selwood and Laura Csortan. Australian radio stars and Cotton On Foundation Ambassadors, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee have also got involved.
“After fulfilling our dream to create our own premium gold water, which will help educate kids in Southern Uganda, it felt like the right next step to jump on board the Cotton On Foundation’s #IGiveABrick campaign to make sure we can keep helping these kids,” Blake and Lee says.
With campaign funds being raised through the purchase of Cotton On Foundation products and the sharing of the #IGiveABrick hashtag on social media, Cotton On is calling on the support of its customers across Australia, the US and Asia to help achieve the $1 Million target.
The collaboration is just the latest initiative implemented by the Cotton On Foundation in an effort to make a difference in the lives of those living in Southern Uganda. Since the Foundation’s inception in 2007, the philanthropic arm of the Cotton On Group has forged a unique partnership with customers and employees in Australia and across the world to create healthy futures under the four pillars of education, healthcare, sustainability and infrastructure.
Already, the #IGiveABrick campaign is well on track to achieve its target with over $200,000 raised in the first week. Sam McGuane, Cotton On Foundation Operations Manager, says its hoped this momentum will continue as the busy Christmas period approaches.
“Christmas is a wonderful opportunity for Cotton On shoppers to support the campaign by buying a Cotton On Foundation product for a loved one and in doing so, making a real difference to the future of children in Southern Uganda.”
Mr McGuane says the development of the new school in Nubbunga will play a pivotal role in the lives of the village community.
“The Cotton On Foundation believes that providing children with an education is key to their long term success – we want to help them build a sustainable and happy future for themselves and their communities,” he says.
“The new Nubbunga school will create a safer and happier learning environment for the students and importantly provide them with other types of critical support, such as access to clean water and daily meals.”
With plans to have the school built by mid 2015, the new structure will house ten classrooms, offices, a staff room, teacher housing for up to five people, a kitchen, toilets and a playfield. A vegetable garden and a variety of agricultural resources will also be included.
Working closely with the Nubbungan community, local labour and materials will be used for the build and a focus placed on using existing structures to minimse the impact on the environment. Measures such as roofs designed to harvest rainwater and the installation of a Bio Gas system that runs on organic waste will ensure that the project is sustainable.
The school’s completion will mark the Cotton On Foundation’s first infrastructure project in the village, adding to the adult literacy program and coffee project already established there. Together, they will play an important role in the Foundation upholding its mission to reduce poverty and improve the lives of those in need.