Unicef NEXTGen fundraising group raises £1m for Syrian children
Melanie May | 26 June 2017 | News
A fundraising group of young London-based professionals has raised more than £1m to support Unicef’s work for children in Syria.
Unicef NEXTGen London was set up in 2014 by Layla Yarjani and Hortense Decaux, and has raised the sum through more than 60 fundraising events and initiatives, most recently #CookForSyria. This campaign raised more than £200,000 through 35 Syrian-food inspired supper-clubs, pop-ups, and a cookbook that has sold over 15,000 books to date.
Highlights from yesterday's #cookforsyria BBQ.. delicious food, fab weather& the BEST group of friends ever!!
Over £600 raised for @unicef pic.twitter.com/MthmV31U5d
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— Homemade With Mess (@homemadewithmes) June 4, 2017
Unicef NEXTGen London members have been also been involved in Unicef UK’s campaigning for the children of Syria and, through their networks, have donated their consultancy services to Unicef UK with seven pro-bono strategy consulting projects secured through the group for the charity.
Unicef UK and NEXTGen London are currently working together to support the development of Unicef Next Generation Europe, with committees also in Paris and Stockholm. The #CookForSyria campaign is also being replicated in Australia, the USA and elsewhere across Europe.
Layla Yarjani and Hortense Decaux, co-chairs of Unicef NEXTGen London, said:
“The world cares about what is happening in Syria and the most important thing is creating meaningful and valuable ways for people to contribute. This can manifest in many different shapes and sizes, and we like to be creative and open to new ideas. We are incredibly proud of our leadership team and wider support community for raising £1m for Unicef. With their energy and support, we were able to build bridges for individuals to help the children of Syria and their families over the last three years. We are excited to see what is next.”
Mike Penrose, Unicef UK executive director, also commented:
“The funds will have a huge impact in the lives of Syrian children and will go towards providing life-saving food, clean water, health care and psychological support. We look forward to continuing our relationship with NEXTGen to find innovative new ways of supporting the world’s children.”
#Thankyou @nextgenlondon who have raised £1m to support our vital work for the children of #Syria pic.twitter.com/nHwjwV2FwA
— UNICEF UK (@UNICEF_uk) June 24, 2017
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.