Milan, 05 May 2015 – Expo 2015: Save the Children has, once again, collaborated with BVLGARI, this time to inaugurate the Save the Children Village pavilion at Expo Milan 2015 (officially known as the Universal Exhibition). For the six-month duration of the Expo (May 1 to October 31), proceeds from all sales of BVLGARI jewels in silver and black ceramic in BVLGARI’s Milan stores will be donated to Save the Children.
The inauguration was officially graced by the Mayor of Milan, Giuliano Pisapia, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Maurizio Martina, Expo CEO, Giuseppe Sala, Save the Children Italy President, Claudio Tesauro, Save the Children Italy CEO, Valerio Neri, and BVLGARI CEO, Jean Christophe Babin. The poignant ceremony included a moving performance by Giovanni Allevi and a reading by the actress Anna Foglietta.
In line with Expo 2015’s umbrella theme of ‘feeding the planet’, the objective of the Save the Children Village is to raise awareness about worldwide child malnutrition and how it can be overcome. All the guest speakers applauded the engaging and interactive way in which the 800sqm Village so effectively communicated its message and, in particular, the way in which it reflected the places in the world in which Save the Children is engaged in active projects.
During the ceremony, Save the Children acknowledged BVLGARI for its critical role in this ambitious project. In turn, in his address, BVLGARI CEO, Jean-Christophe Babin, spoke of BVLGARI’s longstanding support of Save the Children. Referring to the success of this six year-long partnership, he added, “Since the beginning of its collaboration with Save the Children in 2009, BVLGARI has raised $35 million, an amazing result that is unique within the luxury sector. Most of all, thanks to our partnership, to date, 700,000 of the world’s most vulnerable children have been reached, improving their living conditions in 25 countries.”
Jean-Christophe Babin also announced a pledge of €500,000 to Save the Children’s humanitarian efforts in Nepal following the recent disastrous earthquake which has left 6,800 victims to date.
The partnership between BVLGARI and Save the Children is unique in that 250 international celebrities have agreed to be photographed by Fabrizio Ferri in order to increase the visibility of this extraordinary project. The donation of the proceeds from the sale of BVLGARI jewels in silver and black for the duration of the Expo is a reflection of BVLGARI’s support for Save the Children, and of its intent to reach an increasing number of children through its projects.
Claudio Tesauro, President of Save the Children Italy, added that BVLGARI’s commitment to support of Save the Children has grown with time. “Expo Milan 2015 is an opportunity to increase our efforts to reach an ever greater number of children. Visitors to the Save the Children Village will be able to empathise with the ghastly, unacceptable conditions too many children throughout the world still live in.”
