JAFRA donates more than $100,000 to help SOS Children's Villages in Vietnam

JAFRA® Cosmetics International, Inc. (JAFRA), a leader in direct-sales, today announced it has donated a portion of product sales, totaling more than $100,000, to help SOS Children's Villages construct a new village in Vietnam. The donation is part of a larger gift to the SOS Children's Villages that was made by JAFRA parent company, the Vorwerk Group, a family-owned business based in Germany.

“Helping children throughout the world is a natural priority for JAFRA, since we are very much a family-oriented company”

The new SOS village is located in Quy Nhon, Vietnam and will open in 2011. Providing round-the-clock, family-style care in 14 houses, the village will accommodate up to 140 children. Like all SOS Villages, the village structures will be built with sound ecological principles - using solar power, for example, to provide lighting and hot water. The village will be integrated into the larger, local Vietnamese community, embracing the local culture and customs.

Founded in 1949, SOS Children's Villages is an international charity dedicated to raising orphaned and abandoned children.

Working in 132 countries, SOS Children's Villages supports over 80,000 children by providing the necessities of life, a nurturing environment, a quality education, medical care and hope for the future. SOS Children's Villages integrates children into a family setting where they will live until they are independent adults. Strong bonds develop within the villages and long after children are grown, these family relationships endure.

Vietnam, the location of the JAFRA-sponsored village, is home to more than 85 million people and has long been one of the poorest countries in the world. SOS Children's Villages has been actively involved in aiding children in Vietnam since 1969.

"Helping children throughout the world is a natural priority for JAFRA, since we are very much a family-oriented company," said Dr. Friedrich Kroos, JAFRA president and chief executive officer. "Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and caring environment. SOS Children's Villages has an incredible history of providing for children in need who have no one to help them. We feel fortunate to be able to support their worthy and highly successful efforts by helping to provide financial support for the construction of these new homes in Vietnam."