Groupon in Asia-Pacific region raises over USD72,000 for the World Food Programme to provide school meals for girls in Asia

KUALA LUMPUR, 19th April 2013 – Groupon in the Asia – Pacific region donates on behalf of its subscribers over RM218,448.00  (USD72,000) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP),following the conclusion of a fundraising campaign for WFP School Meals activities in Asia.

Groupon, the world’s leading social e-commerce platform, in collaboration with WFP, generated over 10,000 individual contributions from its subscribers in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia. The full proceeds from the campaign will ensure a total of 289,448 meals to underprivileged school girls in Asia. The collaboration with WFP also marks yet another milestone for Groupon as it is the first ever simultaneously run campaign by Groupon in six countries.

Country heads of Groupon Asia Pacific pose with the mock cheque.(From L-R) Patrick Cuantero, CEO of Groupon Philippines, Mr. Joel Neoh, Mr.Tobias Teuber, Trip Wagoner, President & Managing Director of Groupon Thai, Lt Gen (r) Dato’ Sri Hj Shahron Ibrahim, Indrasto Budisantoso, CEO of Groupon Indonesia, Alistair Vernn, Co-CEO of Groupon ANZ, Rafiq Razali, Country General Manager of Groupon Malaysia, Karl Chong, CEO of Groupon Singapore, Danny Yeung, CEO of Groupon Hong Kong and Stephen Lee, COO of Groupon Taiwan.

It is estimated that more than 36 million primary school-aged girls globally lack access to basic education. Access to nutritious food is often a daily challenge for these underprivileged girls. WFP’s school meals programme ensures that girls get a daily, nutritious meal and encourages students to come to and stay in school. In Asia alone, the WFP provides school meals in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, DPR Korea, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Timor Leste.

“Groupon’s established background as the world’s leading group buying platform has opened up a new means of creating awareness and generating funds for the fight against hunger. Each Groupon purchased makes a difference in ensuring girls receive a school meal in Asia,” said Jay Aldous, Global Director for Private Partnerships for WFP.

“From our humble beginnings, the vision behind Groupon has always been to empower individuals as a collective force. Through this partnership with WFP we at Groupon have been able to demonstrate that every donation counts in helping provide nutritious school meals to children in need across Asia.” said Joel Neoh, CEO of Groupon Malaysia and International Vice President of Groupon APAC (North).“I would like to extend my gratitude to all our generous Groupon subscribers that helped us in supporting this campaign. Their contributions make amazing initiatives such as this a reality, and we hope that more people in Asia will continue to value the power of collective action.” said Neoh.

For further details on:
‘Groupon for Children’ initiative, visit http://bit.ly/14dv4jz.
Groupon Malaysia, visit www.groupon.my
WFP, visit www.wfp.org/