Las alianzas corporativas de UNICEF

Signature Partnerships: Check Out for ChildrenT

The Check Out for ChildrenT '11 Year Anniversary' keycard

Check Out For ChildrenT is an alliance between Starwood Hotels & Resorts and UNICEF. The Check Out For ChildrenT mechanism is incredibly simple yet effective. Upon arrival at a Starwood hotel, guests are advised they will be invited to add one US$1 (or local currency equivalent) to their bill upon check out, as a donation to UNICEF.

This unique partnership between UNICEF and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and their guests have raised over US$16 million to support life-saving immunization programmes for children throughout the world. The money raised is used to support UNICEF's life-saving immunization work; for each US$1 million raised, more than 55,000 children can be immunized against the six major childhood diseases, i.e. polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, tuberculosis and measles.

Since its launch in 1995, Check Out for ChildrenT has reached thousands of Starwood's guests, demonstrating Starwood's commitment to supporting the communities in which it operates and at the same time increasing awareness of UNICEF's work.

What is the story behind Check Out for ChildrenT?
Check Out for ChildrenT was launched in Europe in 1995 in Sheraton Hotels, Asia Pacific in 1996, and finally hotels in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America joined the programme in 1997. The program expanded to include all Starwood brands including Westin Hotels & Resorts, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis and Arabella Sheraton in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The commitment and dedication of Starwood staff in more than 170 hotels in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and over 70 properties in Asia and the Pacific is critical to the program's long-lasting success.

Check Out for ChildrenT funds have been used to immunize children against the six most common, often fatal childhood diseases. As well as supporting the routine ongoing immunization services of a particular country, UNICEF often conducts national immunization campaigns with partners, reaching millions of children in a matter of days, where immunization levels are poor or where conflict or emergencies exist which make epidemics a serious threat to the population.

Robert Scott, Senior Vice-President, General Counsel for Starwood Hotels & Resorts - Europe, Africa and Middle East Division, was the pioneer of the initiative, which now operates in more than 240 hotels all over the world. Robert was motivated by the belief that Sheraton, and its guests would welcome the opportunity to put something back into the international community and approached UNICEF with the idea of helping some of the world's most vulnerable children.

Employee Engagement
Check Out for ChildrenT has become an integral part of the Starwood Hotel operations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East (EAME) and Asia Pacific properties. Since 2000, Starwood associate fundraising campaigns have raised over US$800,000, in addition to the core guest programme.

Europe, Africa, and the Middle East (EAME)
In 2006, Starwood associates raised more than US$240,000 in an Amsterdam - Brussels sponsored cycle ride to support an income generation project in Ethiopia. This project helps many disadvantaged young people set up their own businesses and earn a living. The profits generated from these activities will be used to support local orphans, vulnerable children, and children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. EAME associates also supported the 2006 EAME Bike Ride for Life fundraising campaign, raising over $55,000 for the UNICEF supported Hope for Children orphanage in Addis Ababba.

COFC donations raised in EAME in 2006 will be used to fund national polio immunisation in Nigeria, as well as supporting routine immunisation services in other parts of Africa.

In 2004, to mark the US$10 million milestone, the Starwood Hotels associates took part in the Check Out for ChildrenT Challenge to help raise funds to fund immunization against measles for every child in Gabon between the ages of 9 months and 14 years. Starwood EAME President, Roeland Vos, Michael Wale, SVP Regional Director North West Europe and Robert Scott traveled to Gabon in November 2004 to see the measles campaign first-hand. Roeland Vos launched this national campaign with the Vice President of Gabon, on behalf of Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Quote from Starwood EAME President, Roeland Vos
"If you look at what's happened over the past eleven years of the COFC partnership, we have made huge inroads when we consider how many children we have been able to vaccinate, close to a million children. However, it's only at the moment that you see one child that is being held by its mother, being immunised that you start realising that actually you are saving a life. And that's what it's all about."

A health worker immunises an infant at a makeshift rural health clinic in the village of Dishet Abaraji near Bahir Dar, Ethiopia in February 2006.

Ethiopia
In 2005, donations raised in EAME hotels were used to fund immunsiation programmes in several regions of Ethiopia, where urgent intervention was required to improve the coverage and quality of immunisation services in order to reduce the number of deaths form vaccine preventable disease. In February 2006, Starwood EAME President Roeland Vos, accompabnied UNICEF to Amhara region in Ethiopia to see first hand how COFC donations are saving lives.

Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Starwood employees run an annual UNICEF Check Out for ChildrenT Challenge. Initiated in 2005, the Challenge is a staff fundraising competition between Starwood hotels in the region. The hotel that hosts the most creative and effective fundraising campaign is invited on a UNICEF field trip to see an immunization program in action. In 2006, the Challenge raised over US$81,000.

Quote from Miguel Ko, President, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., Asia Pacific
"It is thanks to the dedication and motivation of Starwood employees that we have been able to raise an impressive sum for UNICEF to date," "I am delighted that we are rising to this new Challenge."

In 2006 the Starwood staff attended a UNICEF supported national polio immunization day in Bangladesh. They saw first-hand how their fund raising efforts have saved thousands of children from a crippling disease. Funds raised in Asia Pacific have helped to immunize thousands of children in many countries including Indonesia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, and Thailand.

Funds raised in Asia Pacific in 2006-2007 will support three immunization initiatives:

. Myanmar: Polio immunization with the aim of immunising approximately two million children under five years of age.
. Mongolia: Strengthen and expand the immunization program in remote districts through improving the health system delivery.
. Bangladesh: Expanded immunization programme to vaccinate against seven preventable diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis-B, and measles) targeting children under 12 months and women aged 15- 49 years in remote areas.

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