April 16/09 11:59 am - Cadbury Promotion Will Send Up to 5000 Bicycles to Africa

Posted by Editor on 04/16/09
 

Cadbury is bringing its deeply-rooted company values to bear in 2009 with two unique total company promotions that will show Canadians how easy it can be to make a big difference in the lives of others through small, every day purchases like chocolate, gum and candy.

Cadbury celebrates the launch of the first such promotion of the year, The Bicycle Factory program, which will convert Cadbury product purchases into bicycle parts to help build bicycles for Africa. The promotion comes to life in an online, virtual factory at www.thebicyclefactory.ca where every Cadbury UPC code entered online will equal a bicycle part and for every 100 UPC codes entered by consumers, Cadbury will build** a bicycle. The Bicycle Factory initiative has committed to sending up to 5,000 bicycles to Africa, providing much needed access to mobility.

"We have been rooted in the African community for over 100 years and today we are as committed as ever to give access to everyday social and economic services we take for granted," says Luisa Girotto, Vice President Corporate Affairs, Cadbury North America. "In Africa, a bicycle can mean access to clean water, medical care and education. Through The Bicycle Factory program we can improve overall mobility and therefore livelihood and we know Canadians will be empowered to help us realize our goal."

The Bicycle Factory promotion will give one lucky Canadian the opportunity to become a Cadbury ambassador and travel with the Cadbury team to Ghana to deliver the 5,000 bicycles in October 2009. Cadbury will also reward Canadians throughout the promotional period with over a thousand instant win prizes. Full rules and details are set out at www.thebicyclefactory.ca.

Cadbury is working closely with international associations and local Cadbury partners on the ground in Africa to ensure effective distribution of the bicycles. In 2009, up to 5,000 bicycles will be sent to communities in Ghana, Africa where they will be used to help children get to school and therefore greatly improve access to education. Ghana is a member community of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, a ground breaking initiative developed to secure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of almost a million cocoa farmers and their communities.

Pedaling for Change

Theofelus is very academically motivated, but his family is poor and he often travels to school on an empty stomach. The bicycle he has received through a BEN Namibia project helps him conserve his energy for his studies,and saves him more than 6 hours of travel time every week.

In Africa, a bicycle is more than a bicycle. It can offer a more mobile, safe and productive life. According to the United Nations, more than 40 million African children are growing up without schooling***. Access is a key barrier to school attendance and school children commonly walk for two hours a day, in harsh conditions, to attend school. In a poor African community, access to a bicycle means greater independence and increased social, economic and educational opportunities.

"In Africa, a bicycle is hope, freedom and survival," says Michael Linke, on-the-ground activist in Africa and founder of Bicycling Empowerment Network (BEN) Namibia. BEN Namibia distributes bicycles to community-based organizations, volunteers and directly to those in need. "A single bike can carry up to five times the weight, go four times as fast and travel four times as far as a person walking and it can change a person's life and a community's future."

My Part. My Difference.

Canadians can make a difference through the purchase of simple, everyday products like chocolate, gum and candy. Simply log onto www.thebicyclefactory.ca and enter the UPC code from any participating Cadbury product including chocolate bar favourites such as Caramilk and Dairy Milk; leading gum brands like Trident, Dentyne and Stride; Maynards treats including Wine Gums, Sour Patch Kids and Cherry Blasters; and all HALLS products. One UPC code entered on the site equals one bicycle part and 100 parts equals one bicycle.**

The Bicycle Factory program website brings to life the bike making process and offers real-time updates on bikes contributed to-date, and communities, families and friends are encouraged to join together to make a greater difference.

"Our products bring joy to Canadians every day and now we want these small indulgences to bring a little bit of joy to those less fortunate than ourselves," says Girotto. "The excitement, gratitude and hope that will rise from the villages when the bicycles arrive will be remarkable to witness and is sure to be an intensely emotional and unforgettable event."

About The Cadbury Cocoa Partnership

In January 2008, the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership was established together with the United Nations Development Programme, local governments, farmers and communities, and it is the largest sustainable cocoa farming program in existence. This ground-breaking initiative is designed to secure the economic, social and environmental sustainability of one million cocoa farmers and their communities in Ghana, India, Indonesia and the Caribbean. Cadbury is already building wells and libraries, fostering micro-finance loans, and developing long-term programs to encourage biodiversity and sustainable cocoa growing. Cadbury is investing more than $80 million CDN over the next ten years through the partnership and estimates that it will make a difference in the lives of half-a-million cocoa farmers in Ghana by 2018. For more information, visit www.dearcadbury.com.


** For every one hundred (100) UPC's entered, Cadbury will donate one (1) bicycle for delivery to Africa up to a maximum of five thousand (5,000).

*** UNICEF global databases, 2008, and UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, 2008