New York Ag Connection - Hain Celestial, CARE Support Girls' Education and Leadership

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Hain Celestial, CARE Support Girls' Education and Leadership
New York Ag Connection - 03/22/2017

Alba Botanica, Avalon Organics and J-SÖN brands, along with leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty, CARE, are delighted to announce the expansion of the Qach'Umilal Girls' Education and Leadership Project with second year of support for another Guatemalan region in need, and to celebrate the progress of the Empower Her Through Education campaign thus far.

This year's program benefits an additional group of 200 indigenous girls from families in western Guatemala by supporting their primary school education. As part of the brands' Empower Her Through Education campaign with CARE, this program is a crucial step in making a difference in girls' and women's lives and their communities, while breaking down barriers to education for girls in developing countries.

The Qach'Umilal (or Guiding star in the Mayan language K'iche) Girls' Education and Leadership project not only promotes access to educational programs for girls, but also helps to keep girls in school, while helping to build self-esteem and leadership skills. Currently in Guatemala, only 60% of students who start first grade complete sixth grade. Retention is even lower among young girls, who are expected to devote a majority of their time to domestic and field chores. Guatemalan women and girls face countless additional challenges due to gender discrimination and ethnical racism. The Qach'Umilal Girls' Education and Leadership Project has made significant progress in empowering girls to be more confident by emphasizing music, art and relationship-building. These key factors are what drive the Qach'Umilal Girls' Education and Leadership Project to inspire change and enable girls to follow their dreams.

"The Qach'Umilal project shows what impact we can make when we invest in girls, especially when those investments knock down the barriers keeping them from school and otherwise holding them back," said Michelle Nunn, CARE's president and CEO. "We're delighted to have a partner like Hain Celestial that so generously expresses our shared commitment to equipping girls with the tools they need to thrive. Now more than ever, it's exciting to see opportunities for consumers to express their support and connection to women and girls around the world."

Following the success of last year's efforts to raise awareness, the Hain Celestial brands, in collaboration with CARE, are introducing a collection of limited edition personal care products featuring actual drawings from the girls participating in the Qach'Umilal program. The brand has chosen their best-selling products to display the meaningful limited edition labels to honor this year's program. The brands have donated $50,000 directly to the local schools through this partnership, going directly to support the 200 girls in the Qach'Umilal program.

"The Qach'Umilal Girls' Education and Leadership Project is not seen as a donation from Hain Celestial but as an investment in our future women of the world. This year it was important to us at Hain Celestial to expand upon the program allowing our consumers to also have a voice in the project; whether it is from purchasing, donating or joining us at our event held on March 1st in New York City. No matter the level of participation it all leads to one common goal: positive change in these young women's lives." said Julie Marchant-Houle, general manager, personal care at The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. "We're simply honored to be part of this initiative for a second year in a row. It's amazing to see the positive change in these girls' lives and communities."

To expand on this, the brands in partnership with CARE hosted a consumer facing event in New York City to encourage support of the cause while all charitable donations contribute to further fund CARE initiatives. The event focused on women's empowerment inspired by the Qach'Umilal Girls' Education and Leadership Project with a motivational Yoga session led by Beauty and Wellness Expert, Jeannine Morris, and a presentation from the Hain Celestial brands on their work with CARE. Consumers were encouraged to share what access to education means to them via social media using #accesstodream and expressed words of encouragement by painting on a large canvas wall.

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