AkzoNobel, SOS Extends Partnership to Fight Youth Unemployment

AkzoNobel NV and SOS Children’s Villages partnership has designed to help fight youth unemployment – through education and renovation training programs – is being expanded to include six new countries.

After joining forces earlier this year, the two partners will broaden the program in 2018 to include Argentina, Belgium, China, Pakistan, Russia and India. The collaboration, which was initially launched with a focus on four countries (Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia and South Africa), is part of AkzoNobel’s Let’s Colour initiative, run by brands such as Dulux, Coral and Flexa.

As well as offering training through the company’s painter academies, the initiative also includes renovating the living spaces of SOS Children’s Villages program participants, together with AkzoNobel volunteers.

“By the end of 2017, almost 100 young people will have been through our training programs and workshops in the four countries we first announced as part of the partnership. This makes me very proud and is exactly the kind of positive experience that we want to repeat in the next six countries,” said Ruud Joosten, COO of AkzoNobel paints and coatings.

“We are delighted to announce the commitment to the six new countries in 2018, with AkzoNobel as our international corporate partner. Working together this year has reinforced our belief that a collaborative approach actively contributes to the employability of young people coming from a difficult background,” added Kei Heikkila, head of international corporate partnerships at SOS Children’s Villages.