The Power of Nutrition joins Soccer Aid for UNICEF, pledging to match public donations

• The Power of Nutrition will match public donations made to this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF, meaning every donation is doubled, up to £4 million
• A £10 donation becomes £20, which could help UNICEF provide life-saving nutritious food for children most in need across the world
• Donation lines are now open at socceraid.org.uk/donate, where donations will have double the impact for children.

LONDON, 18 May - Soccer Aid for UNICEF, taking place on Sunday 12 June at London Stadium, today announced a new partnership with charitable foundation The Power of Nutrition, who will match public donations and fundraising up to a total of £4 million.

The Power of Nutrition is a unique platform that raises money and creates partnerships to advance the fight against malnutrition in Africa and Asia. Its investment for this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF campaign will go towards UNICEF programmes to improve access to nutrition and health for children, tackling the underlying causes of malnutrition and poverty.

Simon Bishop, CEO at The Power of Nutrition, said:

We’re delighted to take our longstanding relationship with UNICEF and amplify it by partnering on the brilliant Soccer Aid for UNICEF campaign. Conflict, Covid-19, climate change and now rising food prices are threatening unprecedented levels of malnutrition, impacting the lives of tens of millions of children across the world. It’s more important now than ever to rally together, dig deep and support this important cause. Every child deserves the right nutrition to fulfil their potential.

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation in preventing and treating all forms of malnutrition – improving children and women’s access to nutritious diets, and detecting, treating and caring for malnourished children to help them survive, recover and live healthy and productive lives.

Tragically, 200 million children worldwide are unable to reach their full potential due to malnutrition, with crises such as the drought in the Horn of Africa and rise in food rises due to the war in Ukraine contributing to a rising number of malnutrition cases. With the help of The Power of Nutrition, this year’s Soccer Aid for UNICEF could contribute towards our goals of ending all forms of hunger for children everywhere, so that kids can get on with being kids.

Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive at the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), said:

UNICEF UK is thrilled to be partnering with The Power of Nutrition for Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2022, and is hugely grateful for the generous offer to double public donations up to £4 million. Malnutrition deprives children of their playtime and their futures, which is why UNICEF and The Power of Nutrition are united in our aim to end all forms of hunger for children everywhere. This incredible sum of money will support our work to make sure that every child has the nutrition they need to live a healthy life and be able to play – just like children should.

Soccer Aid for UNICEF is the biggest charity football match in the world, with this year’s match featuring celebrity names including Liam Payne, Usain Bolt, Tom Grennan, Martin Compston, Alex Brooker, Sir Mo Farah, Mo Gilligan, Lee Mack, Damien Lewis, David Harewood and Steven Bartlett. The star-studded line up will be joined by famous footballers including Gary Neville, Fara Williams, Patrice Evra, Mark Noble and Carli Lloyd.

Since 2006 – when UNICEF UK ambassador, Robbie Williams co-founded the concept – Soccer Aid for UNICEF has raised over £60m to help give children all over the world a happy, healthy childhood full of play. Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2021, at the Etihad Stadium, raised a record-breaking £13m.

This year, there has never been a more challenging time for children. Right now, kids are facing war, disasters, and other crises in countries around the world. And it is children that are often hardest hit – like the 7.5 million currently affected by the war in Ukraine. These children risk losing their homes, their families, and their schools. They lose the ability to just be kids.

Soccer Aid for UNICEF is working hard to give children around the world the care-free, play-filled childhoods they are entitled to. All donations will be doubled by The Power of Nutrition and will not only help UNICEF to fight malnutrition but could also provide vaccines, and safe spaces to protect children in times of crisis.

Watch Soccer Aid for UNICEF on Sunday 12 July on ITV and STV and donate now at itv.com/socceraid to have double the impact for children.

To buy tickets for Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2022, please visit www.socceraid.org.uk/tickets, where a family of four can attend for just £60.

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For more information, please contact:

UNICEF UK Media Team, 0207 375 6030, media@unicef.org.uk

About UNICEF UK:
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work for children. We also promote and protect children’s rights in the UK and internationally. We are a UK charity, entirely funded by supporters. United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), Registered Charity No. 1072612 (England & Wales), SC043677 (Scotland).For more information visit unicef.org.uk. Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About The Power of Nutrition:

The Power of Nutrition is a charitable foundation that unites businesses, governments, investors, non-profits, and change agents in a joint mission to end the cycle of malnutrition. Its innovative finance and partnership model multiplies nutrition investments to make resources go further than any organisation could achieve alone.

It currently has 19 programmes in 14 countries with high rates of malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Each is aligned behind national government plans, carefully designed to deliver impact at scale, and is based around a core set of evidence-based, high-impact interventions known to improve child, adolescent, and maternal nutrition.

To date, the programmes have enabled over 60 million women and children to access essential nutrition interventions and services that are truly changing lives. Visit https://www.powerofnutrition.org/ for more information.

About Soccer Aid for UNICEF
Soccer Aid for UNICEF is an entertainment-led charity campaign, culminating in a football match featuring two teams of professional and celebrity players, broadcast live on ITV and STV on Sunday 12th June 2022. Soccer Aid for UNICEF aims raise millions of pounds to support UNICEF’s vital work around the world saving lives and helping children get the best start in life.

About Soccer Aid Productions Limited
The multi-stakeholder project of Soccer Aid for UNICEF is run by Soccer Aid Productions, a collaboration between UNICEF UK and Triple S Events which is part of the Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group.

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