As of 1 May, the BLOS Childcare Group, which Zein is a part of, is a UNICEF Business Buddie. Every day, our organisation makes a contribution to the development of the children in our care. In an effort to widen our impact beyond the borders of the Netherlands and contribute to the development of children in another part of the world, we are joining UNICEF.

UNICEF Business Buddie
At Zein, we strive to build a better future by supporting children’s development with attention and care. Through playful learning, we help children grow into conscious individuals every day. We believe this right should be provided to every child, including those growing up in poor countries. Therefore, we have become a UNICEF Business Buddie to support children in the south of Madagascar by investing in ‘climate-smart villages’.

Climate-Smart Villages
The innovative UNICEF project ‘Climate-Smart Villages’ will be supported by the Group with €5,000 per year. By helping 20 vulnerable villages in the south of Madagascar become ‘climate-smart’, this project reduces the impact of climate change on children. UNICEF invests in sustainable water and energy facilities, promotes a local circular economy, and increases local knowledge, including that of children. Through the project, children learn how to safely and sustainably design and use their living environment – giving them an opportunity to strengthen their local community and build a better life.

Poverty in Madagascar
In Madagascar, access to clean drinking water is very limited. As one of the poorest countries in the world, 78% of the population lives in poverty and 42% of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. In addition, the consequences of climate change are significant. This impacts children in particular as they suffer from hunger, disease and poverty. In the long term, this negatively impacts the development of a generation that is desperately needed to build a more sustainable and better future.

Children are the future
The BLOS group is pleased to support UNICEF. ‘The collaboration with UNICEF feels very natural and aligns well with our vision. We are proud that we can make a sustainable contribution to improving the future of children in Madagascar by supporting this beautiful project’, said Maarten Klein, COO at BLOS group. ‘By affiliating ourselves with UNICEF, we support children on a global scale. If children get the chance to develop, they can make the world a little better’.

UNICEF is also happy that the BLOS group has become a UNICEF Business Buddie. ‘We are extremely happy with the contribution from the BLOS Group’, said Joliene Heimgartner of UNICEF Netherlands. ‘Thanks to the support of Dutch companies such as the BLOS Group, we ensure that children in Madagascar can build a more sustainable future – both for themselves and their community’.