Save The Children And All Blacks End Partnership

Save The Children And All Blacks End Partnership

Save the Children New Zealand acknowledges the valuable contribution made by the All Blacks and the New Zealand Rugby Union during the time that we have been the Official Charity of the All Blacks.

Next week (June 30) marks the end of our three-year relationship with the All Blacks which began at the time of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2005. At that time the NZRU generously donated $100,000 to our emergency appeal.

Executive Director of Save the Children New Zealand, John Bowis, says: "Their concern and commitment to making the world a better place for disadvantaged children has been evident in the continued support they have shown to our often life-saving work."

During our joint partnership All Blacks players have visited and taken part in Save the Children projects in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Fiji and South Africa, and supported a number of our programmes within New Zealand.

In PNG they visited village health clinics and disability programmes that support some of the country's poorest and most isolated children. In Fiji they helped construct new equipment for a mobile playgroup at a squatter settlement, and in South Africa they saw how our education programmes help disadvantaged children at a school near Johannesburg.

John Bowis adds: "Their presence and participation in these projects provided a value that stretched far beyond the expectations of the children they were able to help. The players displayed genuine concern and interest in all the children they met and the issues they are faced with.

"We are delighted with the support the players, NZRU board members and their senior management staff have shown us during the past three years."

NZRU General Manager of Community Rugby, Brent Anderson, added: "We have thoroughly enjoyed the past three years with Save the Children and now have a real appreciation of the incredible work they do. We wish them all the best for the future."

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