This year, PVH is proud to celebrate 15 years of partnership with Save the Children, reaching over 100,000 children and families in five countries through our programming. The PVH Foundation began its partnership with Save the Children in 2005 and in 2014, pledged a $5 million multi-year commitment to the organization’s early education programs in underserved or vulnerable communities around the world. This is part of PVH’s long-standing commitment to doing the right thing for our people, our communities and our planet. PVH has since engaged all of its businesses, regions, and divisions in supporting this important cause.
“Every child deserves to be in a safe place to live, a safe place to play and a safe place to learn. Establishing and investing in our relationship with Save the Children to support early childhood education has been an important focus for me, and something I’ve really championed. For 15 years, our partnership with Save the Children has had positive impacts on the communities where we live and operate and I thank our associates and our partner for their continued effort to improve access to education,” said Manny Chirico, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, PVH Corp.
Last year, as part of our Forward Fashion strategy, PVH announced a $3 million, three-year grant extension with Save the Children that continues PVH’s support of early childhood development and early learning programs in the U.S., China, Bangladesh and India, as well as youth employability programming in Ethiopia. Highlights from the regions with testimonials and stories from our programs include:
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In the U.S., PVH helped Save the Children serve 6.2K children ages 0-5 in 95 communities across 10 states, including through annual service trips. One is seven-year old Jazmin who has been able to excel at school and has come out of her shell with the additional support of Save the Children’s after school program and SummerBoost Camp at Washington-Reedley Elementary, where PVH worked directly with students on vocabulary, math and reading, culminating in a library renovation project. Her mother, Yesenia, explains, “The program has helped her gain new friendships, build confidence and gain knowledge. She’s been able to grow mentally and emotionally.”
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In the last four years, PVH reached 7.3K children of marginalized and vulnerable garment workers in 15 Bangladesh factories. Single mother Sharifa works at the Pandora Sweaters Ltd factory and was able to enroll her daughter Dina in the PVH-supported day care center and then pre-primary school at the Pandora factory.
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The PVH project in Bangalore, India has helped to bridge the gap in the early learning stages of textile workers’ children in rural Bangalore resulting in about 4K children now provided with the opportunity to learn and play. Harsharani, the 28-year-old mother of a 4-year-old, said, “Initially, we believed that teaching is only meant for teachers, and that we could never do any teaching at home. Now we understand that the things parents do and say also have an impact on children and that since a young child’s brain is still developing, we have to be very careful about how we communicate with them. Now that we have this knowledge, we can share it with others who do not have access to such trainings.”
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In 2019 alone, PVH supported the establishment of five Youth Empowerment Service centers in five intervention districts of Ethiopia. “I joined the PVH project at just the right time of my life,” said Aynabeba, who was selected to participate in the first round of the program. “I got the right training at the right time, and it changed how I understand the world. It gave me a way to realize that I have the power to make a difference in my life.”
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In the past five years, over 23K people in China have been impacted, from children to parents and educators. Zhang Qiao is an Elementary school teacher after attending the Seed School Training Program supported by PVH and Save the Children. She said, “there were not enough playtime opportunities for the children, so PVH and Save the Children rolled out a play model in the class including books, building blocks, and materials for drama play. Children now have more choices, better stimulation for their imagination and more ability to express themselves than before. Plus, I, too, gained a lot of knowledge about play thanks to the program.”
PVH’s global philanthropic efforts are led by The PVH Foundation, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to improving the lives of women and children by creating safe spaces, improving access to education, and enhancing quality of life. PVH Cares is PVH’s program that brings this purpose to life by organizing almost 40,000 associates around the world to dedicate their time, talent, and resources in the communities where we work and live.