One by One

We have reached an important milestone.

The Amway One by One Campaign for Children has been transforming lives for 10 years.

What started as a corporate initiative in 2003 has become a grassroots movement of Amway distributors and employees helping children around the world. While Amway affiliates build alliances with local partners, it is the 3 million distributors and 20,000 employees who have helped us to bring our efforts for children to scale.

At the end of 2012, we have counted 10 million children who have been positively impacted through Amway One by One.

Actions include building hospital playrooms in Russia, enabling better nutrition at schools in rural China, providing customized bikes for children with disabilities in Australia, constructing homes in Guatemala and mentoring urban youth in the United States. There are more examples in every region where Amway does business.

Amway One by One has always been about inspiring and encouraging individual actions for children in need. Now, looking back over ten years, we see a beautiful mosaic of hope, inspiration and generosity.

Thanks to everyone who has joined Amway to build better lives for children in our communities.

This year, we celebrate these accomplishments and recognize the work of so many Amway people. But we also challenge ourselves to deepen our efforts, and will close the year with a demonstration of collective support for children in need, around the world.

Our global review concludes in Southeast Asia, where the work for children is as diverse as the many Amway markets in that region.

Amway Australia continued to roll out the partnerships identified during its 40^th anniversary celebration year, featuring programs like neonatal equipment donations, sports equipment for children with special needs (delivered by cricket superstar Adam Gilchrist), and therapy for children with Autism. Amway distributors on an incentive trip to Fiji also took time to help renovate a flood damaged school, with more than 300 participating.

A partnership in Indonesia that started six years ago was still going strong in 2012. After a devastating earthquake struck a remote area in 2006, Amway Indonesia partnered with local employees and distributors to focus on rebuilding two elementary schools. The partnership continues to last, as Amway employees and distributors support the ongoing education at these two schools, providing uniforms, books and shoes for the students, and visiting once each year.

In Malaysia, Amway leaders launched a new partnership to help children in remote areas learn through the act of play, using musical therapy. An organization called Hands Percussion started the Balik Kampung (Homecoming) as a way to support local communities. Amway distributors are taking part as both volunteers and contributors to make the program a success.

Amway Philippines celebrated its 15 year anniversary and marked the occasion by reading and telling stories to young students to improve their literacy skills, and to build a passion for reading. Over the past several years, Amway Philippines has donated books and mobilized volunteers to read and tell stories.

Amway Singapore continued its support of the Singapore Children’s Society to enhance self-esteem, improve math skills, explore personal interests and translate life values into daily values for young children.

Two innovative programs were launched in Thailand last year, both focused on literacy. The first utilized a phone app to allow users to send books to remote areas of the country. The second was a mobile library, 70 of them to be exact, that were sent to schools across the country by Amway.

In Vietnam, Amway extended its support for children with health care needs by partnering with the government to provide medical aid, educational support, vocational and agricultural training in the economically challenged Thanh Hoa province.

Expect to see more in 2013, with some big announcements coming later this week!

Each year, we experience overwhelming disasters: a massive storm system in the US this year, a destructive tsunami in Japan last year, a devastating earthquake in Haiti the year before … the list goes on.

We hear a lot about immediate relief efforts, but what happens over the long term?

In 2006, an earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia destroyed 50,000 homes and 650 schools. Amway immediately responded.

Amway Indonesia partnered with local employees and distributors, raising a combined 1.6 billion rupiahs (around $166,000 USD) to focus on rebuilding efforts for elementary schools.

In 2007, two new elementary schools were presented to the government, and local communities.

But the work didn’t stop there. In 2008, Amway employees and distributors committed to contribute 100,000 rupiahs each month (approximately $11 USD) to support the ongoing education at these two schools, which is used to provide uniforms, books and shoes for the students.

And once each year during the school break, Amway employees and distributors visit the students for a day of activities, local tours, performances and friendship.

It often takes a lifetime to recover from a disaster. Amway people everywhere are showing that we are there to help.

 Thanks to Riana Nurwulen for sharing this story.

No classroom.  No chairs.  No desks.  No problem.

Many underprivileged children in small villages in Indonesia do not have access to classrooms. Lack of education has kept many of them from achieving their full potential. Ibu (mother) Yanti who lives in Ciputat, Jakarta, saw the need to help children in her neighborhood.

In 2005, she transformed her large veranda into a classroom for 80 children to teach them how to read and write. She founded the Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini (PAUD) Budi Mulia, an early childhood education center, all on her own, with no financial assistance from public institutions or private charities.

The lack of a formal classroom doesn’t seem to bother the students.  They are just eager to learn.

To recognize Ibu Yanti’s contribution, a group of Amway volunteers visited her veranda on National Education Day. They spent time reading books, playing games and teaching English to the students. At the end of the day, each child received a back pack and school supplies.

Love, dedication and a small veranda may be all that is needed to ignite a passion for learning in some ambitious young children.

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen for sharing this story.

Young students in the village of Reeds Ciawi-Bogor in Indonesia are blending learning with play, while they blend up some nutritious drinks.

Amway staff and Independent Business Owners brought a supply of fruit, milk, protein powder and drink mixes to school for a fun day of experimenting with different tastes and textures.

Like any new food, the children were reluctant at first, but the flavors won them over, and brought milky smiles to their faces.

Working through the Amway Care Foundation, the volunteers and students agreed to make this a regular event at the school.

Thanks to Riana Nurwulan for sharing this story.

Amway Indonesia partners with the Yellow Ribbon Foundation and Dharmais Hospital to fight against childhood cancer. An ambulance donation, renovation of children’s wards and other activities involving Amway volunteers help children with cancer and their families.

Because of these programs and public awareness initiatives supported by Amway, our general manager of Amway Indonesia was recently invited to an hour-long interview on the afternoon daytime talk show called the Yellow Ribbon.

Koen talked about the issue of childhood cancer and Amway’s efforts in helping children through its partnership with the cancer foundation and the hospital.

As a result of the interview, Amway was asked to conduct some of its programs at the Binus TV studios.

Now, every Wednesday afternoon, Amway staff and distributors host groups of children who learn new skills like interviewing, television production, singing reading and creating crafts.

All activities will be aired live on Binus TV, making these kids the superstars that they already are.

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen and Riana Nurwalen for sharing this story.

Singlar village is located in the foot of Mt. Merapi in Central Java, Indonesia. Late last year, its peaceful life was disrupted by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Merapi. Many homes and lives were lost.

Even though nature has slowly healed itself, the economic activities have not returned because hundreds of acres of farmland were destroyed. When a group of Amway employees and distributors visited Singlar village, they asked, ”How can we make a difference when the needs are so great?”

Through its foundation, Yayasan Amway Peduli, Amway presented nearly 150 flocks of sheep to the leader of Singlar village. These flocks were given to more than 220 households to raise, breed and hopefully increase the size of the flock.

Amway worked with the local government to provide lessons and rewards that encourage the villagers to make a profit and earn money from the flock.

Through animal husbandry, we hope to create a brighter economic future. Amway Indonesia General Manager Koen Verheyen said, “Making a difference to a community is more than just writing a check. We want to help the people of Singlar rebuild a prosperous village for themselves.”

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen and Riana Nurwulan for sharing this story.

We’ve been talking a lot about the ripple effect lately … how a single act inspires others, like a pebble dropped in a pond. Here’s one example from Indonesia, where the Amway Care Foundation (Yayasan Amway Peduli) decided to partner Dharmais Hospital and Yayasan Pita Kuning, a cancer foundation, on various programs related to cancer in early childhood.

RIPPLE ONE

This partnership inspired programs like hospital ward renovation and an ambulance donation, inspiring Amway distributors volunteer their time.

RIPPLE TWO

Amway then collaborated with the University of Tarumanegara’s School of Medicine and School of Communications to organize and sponsored a seminar about childhood cancer. Pediatricians and a famous rapper were invited to discuss the issues and to promote healthy lifestyles. More than 150 students and faculty from the University of Tarumanegara attended the seminar.

RIPPLE THREE

It is project sparked an idea among the students to collect funds. For one whole month, they raised money to donate to the cause. And it inspired a group of Amway employees and distributors to visit patients in Dharmais Hospital.

And who knows where the next ripple will emerge.

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen for contributing this story. See photos on the Yayasan Amway Peduli Facebook page.

Follow-up post … adding a couple more photos that Amway India shared with us on this successful program and some of the Amway distributors now participating. Thanks to Riana Nurwulan!