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Two Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) employees are this week leaving the comfort and stability of their home and work environments in the UK and Italy to spend a week supporting international development charity ActionAid teams to build better lives for children in Brazil’s City of God.

Paul Fogerty, a Conference Consultant with HRG UK based in Leicester, and Simona Padovani, Marketing Manager from HRG Italy based in Milan, were selected from hundreds of applicants who offered their support to ActionAid, HRG’s nominated corporate charity. Some 12,000 employees also joined together to help ActionAid on HRG Day, the company’s annual charity and community support day, raising almost £100,000. All funds are being used to support three specific projects across three continents: an education programme for children in Brazil’s City of God, an HIV/AIDS project in Malawi, and a community healthcare initiative in Cambodia.

David Radcliffe, CEO of HRG, said: “We are delighted to be working with ActionAid on such worthy projects. Supporting three projects in geographically diverse regions reflects our company culture to help those less fortunate than ourselves.”

Commenting on his forthcoming visit Paul Fogerty said: “I'm really excited to be going to Brazil to gain first hand experience of ActionAid’s commitment to making these projects work. Although HRG Day is an annual fundraising and awareness event, the issues which ActionAid addresses are continuous and I aim to use this opportunity to show how the money raised through HRG has made a difference to the street children.

“I think the experience will be hard hitting, challenging and something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It is a great opportunity for me personally and I hope to involve and pass on my experiences to others.”

Simona Padovani added: “Children’s education projects have always been of interest to me. Education is often the first expense families decide to cut when they are faced with problems and live in areas with challenges. I have worked on many charity projects but I have never had the opportunity to visit them so I am looking forward to using this experience to motivate myself and share this enthusiasm with other people both internally and outside our company.”

As part of its support for ActionAid, HRG agreed to sponsor six employees to undertake working site visits and report back on the progress of the projects. In addition to Paul and Simona, other employees from Australia, North America and South Africa were selected to visit projects in Malawi and Cambodia during 2008.

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For further information:

Laurie Waugh / Katy Carmen
Hogg Robinson Group
Tel: +44 (0) 1256 312600
Email: laurie.waugh@hrgworldwide.com 

Veronica Rossini / Rowan Usher
Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster
Tel: +44 (0) 207 467 9200
Email: blhrg@bisslancaster.com

Notes to Editors:

Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) is the award-winning international corporate travel services company. Founded in 1845, HRG has over 60 years specific corporate travel expertise. Its corporate services interests include owned or controlled corporate travel operations in 25 of the key driver and growth markets throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Supported by contracted partners, the HRG worldwide network extends to over 100 countries.

Totally committed to a value offering for clients, HRG offers a comprehensive range of corporate travel services including Corporate Travel Management, Consulting, Events & Meetings Management and Sports as well as Expense Management through its Spendvision operation.
www.hrgworldwide.com

ActionAid is an international development charity working in over fifty countries to end global poverty and injustice. Focusing on issues such as women’s rights, education, HIV and AIDS and corporate accountability, ActionAid works directly with some of the poorest people and communities in the world to help them achieve the power and resources to change their own lives permanently.

The City of God project: In Brazil there is a huge gap between those who are wealthy and those who are very poor. In large cities up to a third of the population live in ‘favelas’ (shanty towns) with the majority engaged in low-paid casual work. Although most children in Brazil receive some form of education, 33 million children receive less than four years schooling with violence, poor teaching standards and poverty causing significant drop out levels.

Situated on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, the City of God is one of the most notorious slum areas in the world. It is home to 60,000 people – 80% of whom live in houses smaller than a double garage. The city is dominated by gangs, gun crime and the drugs trade. Children are particularly vulnerable as the school day is only four hours long; as a result, 20% of all children living in the city will not survive their teens.

ActionAid work in partnership with a local cultural centre to provide children with an alternative to a life of drugs and violence. After-school clubs encourage children to attend catch-up classes (to help them integrate back into school) and IT classes (to ensure they learn varied skills to help them gain employment). It also provides football pitches to help use sports and games to build confidence and diffuse gang tension.
www.actionaid.org.uk