Top business leaders go under the hammer for charity auction

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SYDNEY, Australia, 2 March, 2016: An impressive line-up of Australian business leaders are auctioning off one-hour mentoring sessions in ChildFund Australia’s inaugural MentorMe Auction, which kicks off today.

The MentorMe Auction will take place online with bidders competing to win a mentoring session with one of 10 high-profile Australian business leaders. Mentors herald from a range of different industries, and include advertising guru and media personality Todd Sampson, Carnival Australia CEO Ann Sherry AO (recently voted Australia’s most influential woman), LinkedIn ANZ & SE Asia Managing Director Cliff Rosenberg, magazine industry heavyweight Jackie Frank and more!

Proceeds raised through the MentorMe Auction will help create livelihood opportunities for young people and families in some of the Asia-Pacific’s poorest communities, while auction winners will have the chance to sit down with their chosen mentor for an hour of expert guidance and career advice.

“This is a rare opportunity to be mentored by some of Australia’s most respected and influential business leaders, while also having an impact on the lives of children living in extreme poverty,” said ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence.

“All of the mentors have a story to tell and a wealth of advice to share, from start-up entrepreneurs to financial sector gurus to media moguls. By auctioning their time, they are not only helping young professionals here in Australia but supporting vital small business projects in our region.”

Cliff Rosenberg, Managing Director, ANZ and SE Asia of LinkedIn, said it was an easy decision to take part in the MentorMe Auction because investing in young people and helping others is so important.

“I strongly believe the onus is on all of us to shape a better future for generations to come,” he said. “I’m absolutely supportive of anything we can do to invest in and develop future talent.”

CEOs and business leaders participating include:

  • Ann Sherry AO, Carnival Australia Executive Chairman
  • Todd Sampson, Leo Burnett Non-Executive Chairman
  • Cliff Rosenberg, LinkedIn ANZ and SE Asia Managing Director
  • Michael Rose AM, Allens Consultant & Former Chief Executive Partner
  • Roberto Mercade, Coca-Cola South Pacific Business Unit President
  • Sue Ismiel, Sue Ismiel & Daughters Founder & Global Brand Ambassador
  • Chris Gray, Your Empire CEO
  • Jackie Frank, Pacific Magazines Group Publisher Fashion and Health
  • Jason Burrows, Jungle Managing Director / Executive Producer
  • Jenny Boddington, QBE Insurance Group Global Head of Bancassurance

Full biographies for all of the mentors can be found here: http://mentormeauction.org.au/

WHERE WILL THE FUNDS GO?

Proceeds from the MentorMe Auction will support ChildFund’s livelihood projects, including:

  • Small business loans for women in Vietnam’s remote ethnic minority communities;
  • Restoring livelihoods lost in the Nepal earthquakes;
  • Agricultural resources and training for families in Sri Lanka; and
  • Vocational and life skills training for street children and young people affected by HIV and AIDS in Myanmar.

Bidding opens 2 March 2016 at 10am (AEDT) and closes 16 March 2016 at 5pm (AEDT). Bid now for this once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn from the best – with funds raised helping to create life-changing opportunities for children and families in our region.

Sydney, Australia, 29 January 2016: A severe shortfall in aid funding is putting thousands of children at risk as Ethiopia deals with its worst drought emergency in decades.

Following two consecutive seasons of failed rains, the Ethiopian government declared in December 2015 that 10.2 million people would require immediate humanitarian assistance in 2016[1]. This includes 435,000 children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition and 1 million children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition.

Two million people are without safe drinking water, heightening the risk of disease outbreak.

In the South Nation Nationality People (SNNP) and Oromia regions, the drought is affecting 300,000 people across ChildFund Ethiopia’s program areas, around a third of whom are considered most vulnerable – children under five, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly.

“Scarcity of water is challenging health, education and livelihoods in most of our operational areas,” said ChildFund Ethiopia’s national director Chege Ngugi.

“Farmers cannot plant vegetables for household consumption due to the lack of water, nor is there sufficient water for drinking. Pastoralists are forced to wander from place to place with their livestock looking for water and pasture. Children are being taken out of school to go in search of water,” he added.

For the past three months, ChildFund Ethiopia has been working with the government and local partners to support 74,000 most vulnerable children and family members in seven districts, providing emergency relief in the form of supplementary food – sacks of Famix, a high-protein, ready-to-eat mix of whole roasted corn and soy flour – and edible oil. ChildFund’s local partners are also supporting the government to provide blankets, sheets and mattresses to help health centres handle the growing demand as more and more children need treatment.

With the drought and resulting food shortage expected to continue well into 2016, USD $21 million (approx. AUD $30 million) is now urgently needed to provide a six-month supply of emergency food rations for 300,000 people in eight districts where ChildFund works, covering the purchase of grain, pulses and oil, as well as transport costs. Out of this, USD $5 million (approx. AUD $7 million) will provide supplementary food for the 100,000 people who are most vulnerable, with a particular focus on preventing and treating malnutrition in young children.

ChildFund Australia CEO Nigel Spence said: “ChildFund has worked in Ethiopia for more than 40 years and is deeply committed to continuing progress for children’s wellbeing and development.

“In recent years, the Ethiopian government has worked hard to build the nation’s economy and infrastructure. We must provide help now, so that Ethiopia can continue this progress in the future, and children in this developing nation can have the best possible start in life.”

[1] Government of Ethiopia and Humanitarian Partners, ‘Humanitarian Requirements Document 2016’, (December 2015).

 

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