Ross Kemp Champions Kenyan Children Appeal
12 January 2009
Content Guru’s STORMTM platform has played a key role in the Save the Children appeal to help young victims of Kenya’s post-election violence. The campaign orchestrated by Save the Children's agency RAPP used STORM to host a donation line, set up following the Sky1 documentary Ross Kemp: A Kenya Special, part of the BAFTA-winning series Ross Kemp On Gangs.
While filming the special, Ross Kemp and his team visited the town of Eldoret, the scene of some of the worst fighting in the conflict that rocked Kenya in early 2008. They discovered a community of children orphaned by the violence, who are forced to scratch a living on a rubbish dump. These forgotten victims live a life of constant danger and hunger, dulled only by solvent abuse. Shocked by what they saw, the team returned to make Ross Kemp Meets the Glue Kids of Kenya, to draw attention to the plight of the children.
Ross Kemp commented, "Those rubbish dumps will stay in my mind for the rest of my life. Viewers will definitely be disturbed seeing little kids sniffing glue which has been given to them by their mothers."
Save The Children works internationally to change children's lives for the better. It is focused on four fundamental rights for children: health, freedom from hunger, education and protection. The charity works in 52 countries around the world, running long-term programmes and emergency responses.
Commenting on Ross Kemp's programme, Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said, "These children are extremely vulnerable. That is why it is so important for Save the Children to have this appeal with Sky1. The money donated by Sky1 viewers will help us to give these street children something decent to eat, get them back into education and get them back together with their families. It will give them back hope for their future."
The STORM donation line provided an entirely automated system that made donating quick and easy. The Interactive Voice Response service allowed a large number of calls to be processed in a short space of time, allowing as many people as possible to make donations.
A Sky1 statement about the appeal says, "The response to Ross Kemp Meets the Glue Kids has been nothing short of phenomenal. Sky1 and Save the Children would like to thank the concerned viewers who have contributed to the over £100,000 raised in the fight to combat this devastating epidemic."
To donate to Save the Children projects protecting street children in Kenya, please call 0800 8148148 or visit www.savethechildren.org.uk/sky
For further information call +[44] (0)1344 852 350 or text Guru to 66663.
