Want to know more about the Pampers UNICEF 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign? Ask your questions here! ANSWERS BACK

[AngelieMumsnet]

This week we're running a Q&A with Anita Tiessen, Deputy Executive Director at UNICEF UK.

With Pampers’ support, great progress has been made by UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation, in the fight against maternal and newborn tetanus. Since the Pampers UNICEF “1 pack = 1 vaccine” campaign started in 2006, Pampers has donated funds for 300 million vaccines, helping to protect the lives of 100 million women and their babies and eliminating maternal and newborn tetanus in 15 countries.

Anita is responsible for UNICEF UK’s public affairs, programmes and communications work. She will answer your questions about the 1 pack= 1 vaccine campaign, what has been achieved so far and the work that still needs to be done to help the millions of women and their newborns around the world who are still under threat of maternal and newborn tetanus.

Post your questions to Anita here before 15th October and we will send 20 questions over to Anita for her to respond to. We will then post her responses back on the thread on 24th October.

This Q&A is sponsored by Pampers.

Thanks
MNHQ

Do Pampers feel they are being really generous by giving a massive 4.4p per pack of overpriced expensive nappies?

Just clicked to say god this makes me uneasy - i should imagine their are better ways of creating awareness without promoting pampers. Of course they are doing it to promote sales - what boggles me is why they are spending money with Mumsnet to ask people to talk about it. Surely they knew it would go badly. Maybe in the US - people are less cynical of these things.

I worked with P&G on marketing once and they are very slick but also naive.

This campaign doesn't make me buy Pampers at all, and I agree with the other posters. I'd rather donate some or all of the £3 saving per pack I make buying Aldi nappies - which are additionally better made and don't give my daughter nappy rash.

I occasionally buy pampers. Nothing to do with the campaign. I think it is a win win situation. P&G probably get some sort of tax relief. Kids get their vaccinations. Unicef get publicity. Well, everyone does. All big companies make charitable donations for tax relief.

No, it shouldn't have to be like that. But it is. Does anyone here really donate the saving on each pack of nappies from another brand (I buy a local brand generally so make that saving) to a similar cause?

I don't like this campaign either for all the reasons given. A 'win win' is buying Aldi nappies (or reusables) and donating more to UNICEF than Pampers will, whilst still saving money yourself.

Companies would not undertake these schemes unless they were effective marketing, ie profitable.

How long have Pampers committed to this campaign, and what's the exit strategy? Will it stop if/when it's no longer profitable for Pampers, and what happens then in terms of the sudden drop in vaccines being provided?

Im suprised by the comments here, big business cant win, it does something pretty awesome (organising something on this scale is no easy task) and everyone hates it. I say good on pampers for making an effort. Clearly its good marketing too but good allround I say.

Why are you surprised? Really?

Hi everyone, we've had Anita's answers back and will be posting them here shortly :)

Thank you for your questions and comments and to Mumsnet for inviting me here to talk about our ‘1 pack 1 vaccine’ campaign with Pampers.

Speaking on behalf of Unicef UK, I would like to respond to some of the questions raised on the thread about the partnership we have with Pampers. Globally, partnerships with corporate organisations are critical to Unicef’s success. By engaging responsibly with corporate partners we can raise much needed funds and awareness to help children, while playing a crucial role in enabling corporate partners to build on their social responsibilities.

Since our partnership began nine years ago, P&G Pampers has raised more than USD 50 million for Unicef helping us to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus in 15 countries, and support the vaccination programme in another 24 countries. We simply couldn’t reach this number of mums and babies without the support of P&G Pampers. Unicef receives no funding from the UN, so partnerships like this are absolutely essential for us to continue our life-saving work for the most vulnerable children and babies across the world. Pampers is one of our most significant partners and we appreciate their long term vision, commitment and the contribution they have made to the health of millions of mums and babies.

Maternal and newborn tetanus is a disease that is virtually unknown in high income countries, but it is a silent killer causing mums and newborn babies in developing countries a most painful death. Anyone can contract tetanus if they are not protected by vaccination; however, the victims are usually newborns and women in remote areas without access to hygienic birthing practices or immunisation that become infected, and there is no real cure. In rural areas of developing countries where health infrastructure is very limited, almost all infants that are infected with newborn tetanus die.

To answer questions about the Pampers-Unicef 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign in more depth...

JuniperTisane asked whether a child is turned away from vaccination depending on the numbers of Pampers packs sold in the UK.

No. It is Unicef’s mission to ensure every child is vaccinated against the killer childhood diseases, including maternal and newborn tetanus. We are the world’s largest supplier of vaccines to developing countries, supplying vaccines for more than a third of the world's children.

To do this we work with many partners, including Pampers, as well as governments to strengthen and promote immunisation programmes, focusing on people living in remote areas. On the ground, Unicef trains health workers and helps local authorities to create detailed plans for reaching every child – especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

It’s a carefully managed and planned strategy to reach every last child, no matter where they live, and no child would be turned away from vaccinations. I’ve seen health workers in some of the countries I’ve visited with Unicef walk for hours carrying the vaccinations to ensure they reach every mum and baby in a community.

evertonmint asked about how we validate the number of packs sold against the funds we allocate.

P&G Pampers is under contractual agreement to keep true, accurate, and complete records in connection to the calculations of the donation. P&G provides Unicef with a full and complete statement for the donations following each campaign and this is certified by the company’s respective regional President or respective Regional Finance Director to be true and accurate.

MrsMinton asked why is it one vaccine per pack?

This is a great example of our message that every single parent can help protect a baby in need against maternal and newborn tetanus but together parents have the power to help eliminate it. Since the partnership began in 2006, Pampers has funded 300 million vaccines helping to protect 100 million women and their babies in developing countries (each mum require three doses of the vaccine to be fully immunised). In addition to providing funds for vaccine procurement, Pampers also invests in raising awareness of maternal and newborn tetanus as a silent killer, and this is a key part of our programme.

When we established the partnership back in 2006, we wanted to use a simple and effective message for parents in the UK and ‘1 pack = 1 vaccine’ was established. Put simply, by buying a pack of specially marked Pampers nappies or wipes, Pampers will donate the cost of one vaccine to Unicef. In this way, consumers have the opportunity to contribute towards eliminating maternal and newborn tetanus as they go about their regular shopping. There are also other ways in which parents have been able to support the campaign without purchasing a pack, this has included uploading and sharing photos. In addition, there are some retailers who have donated more than one vaccine per pack which has boosted the campaign.

LineRunner asked if Unicef endorses any brand or product?

No. Unicef is the world’s leading organisation for children. We work in partnership with businesses in order to help us reach millions of children around the world and save lives. By working with chosen companies to support common goals we can raise much needed funds for children; this does not mean that we endorse a specific product.

LineRunner asked: did Unicef and Pampers create the 1 pack = 1 vaccine campaign together?

Yes. Our ‘1 pack = 1 vaccine’ partnership was built around the shared values of Pampers and Unicef. The survival and protection of children is at the heart of Unicef’s mission and Pampers is committed to the healthy development of children everywhere. The achievements and impact so far are clear to see. In 1999, the lives of an estimated 215,000 newborns were lost to tetanus annually. Today, thanks to immunisation and improved medical care before, during and after birth, that number has been reduced to 58,000 each year. This shows that innovative partnerships can change the world. By combining resources and expertise with companies like P&G Pampers we can create life changing opportunities for babies and children across the globe.

bestbefore asked: what other vaccines would Unicef like to see offered to new mums in areas they work in?

Unicef’s priority is to ensure all children are vaccinated against six killer childhood diseases: polio, BCG, tetanus, diphtheria/whooping cough, MMR and TB. At the same time we encourage expectant mums or women of child-bearing age to ensure they are protected too. Maternal and newborn tetanus is a good example of this as it’s critically important that the mum is immunised in order to protect her baby. A woman vaccinated against tetanus before she delivers her baby will be protected, after three doses, for five years and will share protection with her baby for the first two months of life.

bestbefore asked: Do you think tetanus in newborns will be eradicated at some point in the future?

Tetanus can never be eradicated but it can be eliminated. Eradication implies the total disappearance of the root cause of a disease – suggesting there is no need to vaccinate – which is not feasible in this case due to the nature of tetanus thriving in the environment through soil. Our campaign aims to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus (elimination is defined as less than one case of newborn tetanus per 1,000 live births in every district of every country as evaluated by the World Health Organisation).

With the support of Pampers and parents buying nappies and wipes, we’ve made incredible progress so far, eliminating maternal and newborn tetanus in 15 countries. (Those countries are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Myanmar, Senegal, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Uganda, Gabon, Lao PDR, Madagascar and Sierra Leone.)

But there are 24 countries where the disease is still a threat to mums and their newborns and where Pampers is supporting our work. What makes vaccination more challenging here is largely threefold: countries affected by conflict, war, and natural disasters makes access difficult; cultural or tradition beliefs can cause suspicion meaning we need to help educate communities about the importance of vaccinations; and remote and isolated communities makes it more difficult to reach women in order to administer the vaccinations. Unicef is committed to the goal of elimination, and yes, I am hopeful that we will eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus, which is only possible with the support of partners like P&G Pampers.