OREANDA-NEWS. On 22 April 2008 was announced, that in 2007, the European affiliates of Amway – one of the leading direct selling companies in the world – its employees and Independent Business Owner raised 1.07 million Euros for needy children in Europe, Kenya and Russia within Amway’s global One by One Campaign. "Giving people the chance to become independent’ is core to our business", said Mark Beiderwieden Sr. Vice President and Managing Director Amway Europe. "Sharing with our community and helping children through our One by One campaign, is equally a core part of our company’s activities." The money was raised through a variety of activities, for example by crafting and selling rag dolls or selling Christmas cards. About two thirds of the donations were collected by the Amway distributor.

In Europe, Amway started cooperating with UNICEF in 2001. Since the beginning of the partnership, Amway has contributed more than 3.7 million Euro to the United Nations Children Fund. The main part of the 720,000 Euro of the 2007 donations will go to UNICEF projects in Kilifi (Kenya) and Buriatia (Mongolia). Kilifi is one of the poorest districts in Kenya with a mortality rate of more than ten percent among the under five years old. Amway’s and UNICEF’s goal is to strengthen essential health services and vaccinations for women and children in the district, in order to tackle main causes for childhood mortality such as malaria, diarrhea and acute respiratory infections all exacerbated by malnutrition.

In Russia, Amway supported local UNICEF projects in the field of education, for example the reconstruction of two schools in Buriatia to make them suitable for the disabled. In Austria, Sweden, Italy and Germany Amway employees and Business Owners participated in city runs to support UNICEF. The company donated one Euro per kilometer for each Amway runner.

In addition to its UNICEF commitment, Amway is involved in the local communities. In Turkey, Amway supported immunization programs for Turkish children. In Ukraine, a program called "Road to success" was conducted. It aims at assisting orphans to organize their lives when they have outgrown the orphanage. Other examples for local commitment are Amway Italy’s donation of an incubator to a children hospital in Milan or the raising of money by German Independent Business Owners to support children hospices or orphanages.

One by One is Amway’s global campaign for children. Within the campaign the Amway affiliates, Independent Business Owners and employees join forces to help children in need. Since 2003 Amway has given almost 50 Million US-Dollars and invested more than 800,000 volunteer hours. Projects in over 50 countries were supported reaching more than five million children all over the globe.