Cairo, March 20th, 2019: To mark 30 years of raising oral health awareness, Unilever Mashreq -represented by Signal, celebrated World Oral Health Day for the fifth consecutive year, in collaboration with UNICEF, the FDI World Dental Federation, the Egyptian Dental Syndicate and the Egyptian Dental Association.
During the annual celebration, Signal announced its collaboration with the FDI World Dental Federation and UNICEF to raise oral health awareness in Egypt amongst children.
The 2019 World Oral Health Day event was attended by Dr. Kathryn Kell, FDI President, Mr. Marino Sampietro, GBVP Smile Brand and Professional Marketing, Ms. Sherine Moneim, Personal Care Director and Executive Board Member of Unilever Mashreq and Mr. Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Egypt. Several oral health key stakeholders were amongst the attendance, including Dr. Tarek Abbas, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the British University in Egypt and President of the Egyptian Dental Association (EDA), and Dr. Yasser Al-Gendy, President of the Egyptian Dental Syndicate, as well as public figures and senior media professionals.
Sherine Moneim, Personal Care Director and Executive Board Member of Unilever Mashreq, commented that the partnership between Signal and the (UNICEF) is part of the company’s efforts and programs for Community Development to raise awareness of the importance of oral and dental health, which began in Egypt 30 years ago through medical convoys and school visits.
She explained that the fruitful cooperation with UNICEF and the good results achieved by “their health their future” campaign encouraged Unilever Mashreq and UNICEF to extend their cooperation to raise awareness of the importance of hand washing & teeth brushing, proper nutrition and water usage rationalization
Mr. Marino Sampietro, GBVP Smile Brand and Professional Marketing, stated, “In the last 25 years, Signal working with dental professionals, has reached out to more than 80 million people worldwide – 10 million of which are in Egypt alone, through oral health education programs in order to inculcate good oral health habits. We are also proud to have partnered with the FDI World Dental Federation for more than a decade to measurably improve oral health on a global scale.”
“We are truly proud we are of our long-standing partnership, going on 14 years now, with Unilever Oral Care. Together, we’ve made great strides in achieving our shared objectives: To educate children how to brush twice a day and to empower children to become advocates for oral health among family and friends. Our new initiative ‘100 Million smiles’ with Unilever seeks to extend our efforts in raising the public awareness on oral healthcare for all Egyptians,” said Dr. Kathryn Kell, FDI President.
The UNICEF representative in Egypt, Mr. Bruno Mays, praised the cooperation between the organization and Unilever, represented by Signal, especially that the campaign targets children in several Egypt's governorates, especially in Upper Egypt and remote areas, to increase awareness of the importance of handwashing and teeth and proper nutrition for children and their families. Cooperation between the private sector and the Organization.
Worth noting, Signal’s oral health awareness campaign was initiated in Egypt and the Middle East in 1989. It first started in Alexandria with 3000 students, and reaching more than 10 million across Egypt after 30 years of continuous CSV efforts.