American Express Cardmembers Make Child Survival Priority in the Members Project

NEW YORK, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Fund for UNICEF today expressed its appreciation to all American Express cardmembers who participated in the unique American Express Members Project. The international children's agency said that through the awarded grant of $2 million, it was one step closer to reducing the 4000 unnecessary deaths of children each day due to unsafe water.

"We applaud the creativity of all the ideas that were submitted and the commitment of the cardmembers to child survival," said Caryl M. Stern, president and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF. "Safe water is fundamental to human life, yet more than one billion people do not have access to it and one in five are children."

American Express chose UNICEF as the organization to implement the Children's Safe Drinking Water idea, submitted by Cardmember, Dr. Gregory Allgood of Cincinnati, Ohio. The decision was based upon UNICEF's expertise in providing innovative, sustainable, low-cost and life saving water and sanitation solutions. In more than 90 countries, UNICEF is working to improve water supplies for children and families.

Knowing that each country in which UNICEF operates is unique, UNICEF staff position themselves to work with local groups 'on-the-ground' to promote community-based strategies and aim to build local capacity in order to sustain the benefits of improved water supply and sanitation facilities.

"Clean water is the lifeblood of child survival and UNICEF is deeply committed to finding resources and solutions to ensure that all children have access to water that they need and deserve," Stern added. "Through The Members Project, American Express has created an innovative model that has changed the landscape of corporate citizenship -- they should be lauded for that."

About UNICEF

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in 156 countries to address the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF, please visit http://www.unicefusa.org/.