10 April 2007

The dates between 25 and 28 of March were an important milestone for the SupportingLives Programme. 40 newly-appointed SupportingLives Ambassadors from all around the Numico world came together in Vienna, to prepare for this year's companywide effort for orphans and vulnerable children.

During the meeting the purpose, the scope and the guidelines of the Programme were discussed. Best practices, experiences, learnings and new ideas were shared. All the brainstorming sessions and workshops were important steps to chart the Programme's way forward.

The Ambassadors also has a very special opportunity - to visit an SOS Children's Village in Vienna and experience the concept of a village and the home life of some children in the care of SOS. We were especially impressed by the devotion of the SOS mothers and the caring, family-like structure of the houses we visited.

My warmest thanks go to all the Ambassadors for their enthusiasm, their upbeat spirit and their creativity. Thanks also to the General Managers who allowed them to take time out of their work schedules to volunteer to attend the meeting. Lastly, thanks to Steffen Dreher, who kindly joined the group on the first night to welcome us in Vienna.

After this big step for alignment, the ambassadors will be sharing the outcomes of the meeting with their colleagues before they start shaping their local organisations' programme and calendar.