FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - As a family-owned and family-oriented cruise line and the market leading cruise company in Brazil, MSC Cruises has chosen to demonstrate its commitment to the Brazilian community through an important alliance with UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund.
Brazil is not only the biggest and most populous country in Latin America, but it is also one of the 11 most inequitable countries in the world, with alarming levels of poverty in the major metropolitan centers.
According to a 2009 report published by UNICEF, there are 680,000 children and adolescents who don't attend school. Research by IPEA (National Institute of Applied Economic Research) reveals that almost 18 percent of adolescents between ages 15-17 do not attend school and 48 percent of children fail to complete a secondary education. In addition, children living in poverty are 21 times more likely than their peers to be illiterate.
Through the "MSC for UNICEF" initiative, MSC Cruises is supporting a UNICEF program to bring a brighter future to children in 126 vulnerable communities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo by helping provide them with equality of access to a quality education.
MSC Cruises is committed to raising awareness among guests on its cruise ships and will leave an informational brochure in every stateroom. Guests are also invited to "Get on Board for Children" while making a difference with a financial contribution. A donation of any amount can be added to a guests' onboard bill.
The project is part of UNICEF's "Education for all" program, dedicated to helping achieve universal education, one of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015, endorsed by 192 member states and 23 international organizations.
The alliance was officially launched in Barcelona at the July 12 christening of MSC Cruises' new flagship, MSC Splendida. Full details of the partnership, the program and how to help Brazil's most vulnerable children build a better life can be found online at www.msc-unicef.com.
MSC Cruises is proud to be involved in this initiative, a demonstration of its commitment to help build a better world for present and future generations.
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