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!

This story was sent by Doan Thi Dieu Thuy, our colleague from Amway Vietnam: 

“What is it?” asked a small, brown-haired boy sitting next to me, looking over his gift bag.

Toothpaste, shower cream and raincoat. Also, a school bag with notebooks, pens, pencils and ruler.

“Great! Toothpaste for dad, shower cream for mom … no … raincoat for dad since he is always on the farm … toothpaste for my younger sisters … they like it.”

What about the school supplies?

“For me and my sisters too.”

How many sisters do you have?

“Five. But just one goes to school like me. I can teach them reading and writing. I’m in third grade. But I can’t teach them much longer. My dad told me we don’t have enough money to let me go to school next year.”

Our story continued till the boy, named Le Thai Quan, was called to the bus. After school, he helps his parents in field, looks after his sisters and does housework. Despite having little time for study, he continues to distinguish himself with high marks.

Le Thai Quan is the first child of a poor family in Tan Tho, Vietnam, but a new opportunity is coming his way.  He is now one of 600 children in Nong Cong and Nhu Thanh, the poorest areas in Thanh Hoa central province, who will receive educational and medical assistance from Amway Vietnam in partnership with the local government.

“There are similar situations around these communes,” says Tam, a Vietnamese official from the Thanh Hoa Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA). “Children must quit school as they have no money for study. Government sponsorship is not enough for all of them.”

“Every child is an opportunity for a better life,” says Amway Vietnam General Director How Kam Chiong. “That is our long-term commitment for the future development of the country.”

Our little friend’s prospects are changing. He will go to school. He will share his knowledge with his family. And his future will be bright.

Thanks to Doan Thi Dieu Thuy and Ha Dang Ngoc Thu for sharing this story. 

Quoc Cuong is a ten year old boy from Vietnam who joined an elite team to compete in Math and English subjects. Yet he was born with deformed lips and palate. So despite his accomplishments, Cuong couldn’t smile.

Coming from a poor family, the cost for a surgery to correct his deformity was simply too expensive. That is, until the Operation Smile mission in Hai Pong that provided him and 140 other children with free corrective surgery. The mission was sponsored by Amway Vietnam in partnership with Operation Smile Vietnam.   

Since its launch in 2008, Amway Vietnam has supported ten Operation Smiles missions. In addition to the financial contribution of more than US $160,000, Amway employees and distributors have volunteered their times to help 3,000 children get their smiles back.

After the surgery, Cuong said to his mother: “I will be the most handsome boy in the class, mommy.”

Today, he will smile for all of his achievements. And that makes us smile too.

Pictured here is Miss Vietnam Mai Phuong Thuy (center) and Amway Vietnam General Director How Kam Chiong (second on the left) with the patients at the Amway-sponsored Operation Smile mission in Hai Phong in August 2012.

Thanks to Ha Dang Ngoc Thu and Sri Soekarmoen for sharing this story.

After successfully supporting 2,200 life-changing medical surgeries for children, Amway Vietnam is expanding its reach.

In a new partnership with the Department of Child Protection and Care under the Ministry of Labor, children and families in Thanh Hoa will receive medical aid, educational support, vocational and agricultural training.

Thanh Hoa is an economically-challenged province in the North Central region of Vietnam with a large area, rough terrain, an under-developed transportation system and a high rate of households in poverty. Thanh Hoa also has a significant number of children who are abandoned, disabled, HIV-infected or dioxin-infected.

Efforts to help children in Thanh Hoa have achieved some success, but there is still much to do to stabilize the community and provide opportunities for children.

Through the Amway-Ministry of Labor partnership, three communities will be targeted with phases of data collection and need assessment, raising awareness, and providing direct support.

Amway Vietnam has committed 3 billion Dong ($144,000 USD) to kick off the programs, and expects to support approximately 2,000 children. The partnership kicked off in November, and the work is already underway.

Learn more and follow our progress on the Amway Vietnam One by One Facebook page.

Thanks to Dang Ngoc Thu Ha for sharing this story.

Amway Vietnam has launched the first Amway One by One Facebook page. And there are already many stories to tell.

More than 80 children recently received surgery for cleft palates and other facial deformities through Operation Smile, sponsored by Amway with the help of many volunteers.

See photos of the recent project at this link or watch a videos of the programs at this link.

Thanks to Ha Ha Dang Ngoc Thu for sharing this story.

Up to 100 children in Vietnam will have brighter smiles following a mission by Operation Smile taking place in Hanoi this week, in partnership with Amway Vietnam.

On the first day of medical screening, 70 children were cleared for surgery. Most are under three years old, coming from poor families in the Northern provinces.

In addition to the Amway sponsorship, employees gave more than $1,000 to buy coats and toys for the children, and participated as volunteers.

Yesterday, 20 patients had successful surgeries, helping to bring them beautiful smiles as well as the ability to speak, eat and drink properly. The others will be treated by end of this week.

You can see more photos and follow the mission on the Amway Vietnam Facebook page.

Thanks to Dang Ngoc Thu Ha for sharing this story.

The song says that when you’re smiling, the whole world smiles with you. But would the world smile with those who were born with cleft lips and palates?

For children with facial deformities, smiling can be impossible to do, both physically and emotionally. They often become outcasts because of the way they look.

Every year, one in every 600 children is born with facial deformities which can be corrected with a simple and inexpensive surgery.

Operation Smile works with local doctors and contributors to provide free reconstructive facial surgeries. Amway has found a great partner in Operation Smile over the years. We’ve supported missions in Thailand, China, South Africa and Vietnam over the years

The Amway for Thai Society Foundation has organized 13 missions that treated nearly 1,500 children. Amway Vietnam has organized 5 missions and treated more than 500 children. Amway China helped develop media advertising to promote Operation Smile missions and Amway South Africa provides oral care products along with monetary support.

And what would a One by One project be without employees and distributors volunteering their time to help. Whether they are organizing, helping to ease anxious and nervous parents, or playing with the children before the surgery, they do their best to  bring smiles back to their beautiful faces … so the world will smile with them too.

Amway Thailand Operation Smile Mission:

Amway Vietnam Operation Smile Mission:

Thanks to Sri Soekarmoen for contributing to this story.