November 11 2010
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Esprit for SOS Children's Villages
11/11/2010 - This coming Saturday is Big Bang Day, the culmination of a worldwide campaign created by the lifestyle brand Esprit and supported by actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. The Big Bang Day gives fans and clients of Esprit the chance to support the SOS Children's Village in Alibaug, India.
The newest addition to the global family that is SOS Children's Villages, the SOS Children's Village Alibaug in India, was officially inaugurated on 12 October of this year. To support the programmes of SOS Children's Villages in Alibaug and to learn about the mission of the organisation, actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard attended the celebrations (see videos about the opening ceremony and the campaign).
Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard are global ambassadors for SOS Children’s Villages and its partner Esprit, who joined forces in 2008.Global lifestyle brand Esprit works with SOS Children's Villages India to support long-term care for children without parental care as well as programmes that help families stay together who would otherwise be at risk of falling apart due to poverty and other societal problems.
Esprit's Big Bang Campaign is aimed at creating awareness and support for SOS Children's Villages' work in India. It started on 5 November and will continue until this Saturday, 13 November at Esprit stores in 11 major cities all over the globe. Clients are invited to bang the "Superdrum" set up at these venues or a virtual drum online in support of the SOS Children's Village Alibaug. Once the total count of "Bangs" reaches three million, Esprit will donate an additional 500,000 € to the village. For more, go to http://www.espritbigbang.com
"Protecting children's rights is a universal responsibility that requires global commitment from us all," said Gyllenhaal. "It's a privilege for Peter and I to join hands with Esprit and promote the remarkable work of SOS Children's Villages, which for the past sixty years has continued to give children worldwide love, security, and the nurturing environment that only a family can provide.”
Esprit currently supports six SOS Children's Villages family strengthening programmes in India. These programmes help to keep families intact by providing education and medical care, among other means of support. One of these programmes, the new SOS Children’s Village in Alibaug, was financed entirely by Esprit. The village contains 14 family houses for up to 140 children whose parents can no longer care for them, for a variety of reasons.
Since beginning its work India in the early 1960s, SOS Children’s Villages has raised 15,000 children, many of whom have grown up to become doctors, engineers, and professionals, said Rakesh Jinsi, National Director of SOS Children's Villages in India.