Can save lives

Making waves together for children’s swimming lessons

(Bild: Drew Gilliam)

Corona has led to fewer swimming lessons, which has hit socially disadvantaged families particularly hard. Procter & Gamble and Caritas are launching #WellenMachen for them.

Summer is finally here! Temperatures are rising, the days are getting longer and the swimming season is starting. Whether at the swimming pool around the corner or on vacation at the beach - now is the perfect time to jump into the cool water. But for many children in Austria, this fun remains out of reach: around 148,000 children and young people between the ages of five and 19 cannot swim. Another 60,000 feel (very) unsafe in the water. These alarming figures come from a study conducted by the Austrian Road Safety Board in 2022. And it's not just about fun, as swimming accidents could become more frequent in the future as a result.

The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the situation: during the two years of the pandemic, around 12.6 million swimming lessons were lost in schools. Children from socially disadvantaged families, who rely on these lessons to learn vital swimming skills, have been particularly affected.

(Bild: P&G)

It's easy to help - purchased products are automatically donated to
 To help these children, Procter & Gamble (P&G) is launching the latest #WellenMachen donation campaign with brands such as Ariel, Pampers, Gillette and Pantene Pro-V. Together with Caritas, the company is financing free swimming lessons for children from socially disadvantaged families. The best thing about it: everyone in Austria can easily help - with every purchase of a P&G product from the participating brands at BIPA during the campaign period, you automatically make a donation. From June 6 to 19, 2024, P&G will donate three cents to Caritas for every product sold from the brands Ariel, Always, blend-a-med, Braun, Fairy, Gillette, head&shoulders, Lenor, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene and Swiffer.

"Being able to swim saves lives. But children from socially disadvantaged families in particular often do not have the opportunity to learn this important skill. At P&G, our mission is to enrich people's everyday lives. Together with our partners BIPA and Caritas, we want to give children the chance to learn to swim and gain a little more security and joy in life."

Alexander Bähr, Leiter Marketing P&G Österreich.

P&G hopes to raise up to 15,000 euros with the active support of consumers. The campaign is part of the #GemeinsamStärker initiative, which P&G has been using for years to promote better social interaction, social inclusion and youth development in Austria. After #MothersHelp and #LearningChances, #WellenMachen is another project close to our hearts that is literally hitting the shelves. Important here: good and long-standing partnerships such as those with Caritas and BIPA in order to realize them.

You can find out more about the donation initiative and #GemeinsamStärker here: www.gemeinsamstaerkerpg.at