February 17, 2017

Pritt betters the lives of about 240 schoolchildren by improving their educational situation in the northeastern Brazil

New year, new schools with Pritt and Plan International

Düsseldorf – Pritt and Plan International inaugurated on Thursday and Friday two schools in the rural area of Codó in Brazil. For the beginning of the academic year, schoolchildren with an unprivileged educational situation were benefited with proper academic facilities that help them to improve their chances in the future. 
 
With the objective of setting an appropriate learning environment for children from the communities of Mata Virgem and Boqueirão dos Vieiras, Pritt worked together with Plan International. Here, they constructed one school with adequate educational and sanitary facilities, and renovated and refurbished a second one. Teachers have also been benefited from training courses to improve their skills, and the children have received workshops on basic children’s rights such as education, participation, health and nutrition.
 
Supported by the Fritz Henkel Stiftung foundation, Pritt and Plan International have been working together to provide more opportunities to children in developing countries. Most schools in these communities are in underprivileged conditions, which makes it difficult for the girls and boys to learn properly. Pritt strongly believes that access to quality education is the driving force of human development, and these social actions build a more just and egalitarian society in areas of the world with severe deficiencies. “While traveling in Brazil, I noticed that children do not feel at ease or safe in many schools. Thanks to Pritt we were able to renovate school buildings and improve teacher training contributing to a child-oriented and age-appropriate learning environment. This will also positively change the communities involved,” expressed Maike Röttger, Plan International’s Managing Director Germany.

This project takes Pritt’s commitment with education one step further by supporting children with an unprivileged educational status change their future. “We are very proud to construct and renovate these schools, because we are also building a safer learning and teaching environment for teachers and children. At the same time, we are offering them the possibility to transform their communities in Codó.” said Paula Gonçalves, Regional Brand Manager Latin America South Stationery & Crafting.

Access to education is a right for every human being and Pritt, a Henkel brand, is known to be an assiduous advocate of it. These values and commitments are embedded in the brand’s corporate engagement, aspiration and values. As Heiko Held, responsible for Corporate Citizenship and Social Partnerships expressed, “Social engagement has always been an integral part of Henkel's sense of responsibility as a company. My colleagues foster social progress through our strong brands like Pritt, and the Fritz Henkel Stiftung foundation is glad to support such projects.”

As a worldwide leading brand, Pritt provides glue products particularly for kids’ usage. Since its creation in 1969, the Pritt glue stick supports the development of motor and creative skills of children through glue crafting related activities in school and at home. Being made from 90-percent natural ingredients* based on a unique combination of potato starch and sugar, it guarantees best hold for your children crafts. *incl. Water

About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2015, Henkel reported sales of 18.1 billion euros (20.1 billion US dollars), adjusted operating profit of 2.9 billion euros (3.2 billion US dollars). Its three top brands, Persil (detergent), Schwarzkopf (hair care) and Loctite (adhesive) generated more than 6 billion euros (around 6.6 billion US dollars) in combined sales. Henkel employs around 50,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.
Photo material is available at http://www.henkel.com/press

Contact	Sebastian Hinz 	
Phone	+49 211 797-78 94		
Email           sebastian.hinz@henkel.com                        		

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

The new school in Mata Virgem was officially opened by Codó mayor Francisco Nagib (second from the right), representatives from Pritt, Plan International and excited students on Thursday.  

The new school in Mata Virgem will give even more children access to an education.