RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Following last year’s exceptional response to Coca-Cola Pakistan’s fund-raising campaign supporting the Edhi Foundation, the Company has once again announced their partnership with Pakistan’s leading humanitarian and social welfare services organization for this Ramazan.

The ‘Eidi for Edhi’ campaign aims to inspire the people and evoke values of generosity and kindness for an integrated fundraising drive to be implemented nationwide.

Rizwan U. Khan, General Manager of Coca-Cola, Pakistan & Afghanistan said, “As a caring corporate citizen, Coca-Cola realized last year that it was our moral responsibility to do whatever we can to support the Foundation at a time when it was facing a decline in its own fundraising efforts. Drawing on our core strengths, we undertook a massive communication campaign last year, with the full intention of repeating it this year, and I am pleased to announce that our campaign this year will be even bigger and more effective, drawing on all the learning of last year.”

Edhi Foundation from its inception has relied on public support, and traditionally donations, both zakat and non-zakat, have registered a huge increase during the holy month of Ramazan. Without the enlightened leadership of Abdul Sattar Edhi though, the Foundation had faced a decline in donations during their first Ramazan after Edhi Sahab’s demise. As such, Coca-Cola’s ‘Bottle of Change’ campaign became a positive instrument for donations to the Edhi Foundation last year, persuading people to donate even more than before to the Foundation and thus help keep the great work of Edhi alive. The core message of the campaign this year remains the same, with the appealing slogan, ‘Eidi for Edhi’ reawakening public consciousness and willing people to come together for a great cause.

Faisal Edhi, the son of late Abdul Sattar Edhi and the present head of the Foundation said, “Coca-Cola’s campaign had triggered an immense momentum last year, helping the Foundation raise considerable funds during Ramazan. The funds were used to extend the Foundation’s charitable work to even more under-privileged people, and based on the success of last year the Foundation was keen to partner with Coca-Cola again this Ramazan.”