The Vaseline® Healing Project visits KwaZulu Natal to restore communities in need.
On 25 September 2015, 193 world leaders committed to 17 Global Goals to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice and fix climate change within the next 15 years.
As one of Unilever’s Brands with Purpose, Vaseline is actively working toward Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing, and is on a mission to help restore the skin of 5 million people living in vulnerable conditions by 2020.
Globally, Vaseline has partnered with Direct Relief, an international medical aid organisation, to create the Vaseline® Healing Project, providing dermatological care, medical supplies, Vaseline product and health worker training to health workers and victims on the frontline of disaster areas, refugee camps, war zones and poverty-stricken communities.
Skincare is just as important
While issues such as lack of food, water and shelter are the first that come to mind in poverty-stricken communities, Vaseline® has come to understand that, without care, the simplest skin conditions can become problematic, preventing people from doing everyday things.
100 Years of skin healing
In South Africa, this translates into long hours spent at clinics, away from work or school, which impacts on a family’s security and future. With over 101 uses, Vaseline BLUESEAL protects and restores skin, so that more serious skin infections are avoided. This means that an ordinary jar can make an extraordinary difference.
Vaseline® BLUESEAL has been used in first aid kits for over 100 years. It’s the only petroleum jelly with a triple purification formula to lock in moisture and keep skin restored, soft, smooth, and healthy.
This week, The Vaseline Healing Project will conduct a mission in KZN, visiting clinics in eThekwini, Pietermaritzburg and iLembe to provide dermatological training for nurses and treatment for their patients.
Empowering communities with skincare knowledge
“By giving healthcare workers the tools and training to properly diagnose and treat skin problems, we hope to empower the communities they serve to better understand their skin conditions and how best to treat them before they become more serious,” said Unilever Beauty Director, Cathalijne Oudijk.
The Mission team will include international representatives from the Vaseline Healing Project and Direct Relief as well as Dr Ncoza Dlova, Head of Dermatology at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine (NRMSM).
From 3 – 6 May, the team will conduct training sessions, teaching local nurses about common skin conditions, and on Wednesday, 4 May they will host a treatment day at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital Nurses’ Hall. Dr. Dlova’s team of dermatologists from UKZN will treat patients, assisted by nurses and staff at the King Edward VIII Hospital's Skin Clinic.
The Department of Health has been raising awareness of the treatment day and over 300 patients are expected, aside from walk-in patients on the day.
Products & training help provide extraordinary healing
The Vaseline Healing Project will donate 1.2 million units of Vaseline BLUESEAL in 2015. Direct Relief will distribute the product globally to patients via their network of partner clinics and first responder kits. Through the partnership, Vaseline will also provide community health worker training on skin care.
- See Healing Aid All Over the World: An online aid map is currently tracking and displaying where The Vaseline Healing Project is providing aid around the world.
- Share The Vaseline Healing Project Story: To visually showcase the brand’s commitment to healing, and the impact these missions and products have on people everywhere, Vaseline has created a short film titled Not So Ordinary.
References: Based on an internal survey of 127 of Direct Relief’s partner clinics across 39 countries.
About Vaseline
For more than 140 years, the restorative power of Vaseline has been generously passed down from generation to generation. This iconic and caring heritage has created an ideal platform for Vaseline to continue inspiring and helping people, offering expert advice and leading skin care solutions. The success of Vaseline’s past is just a small testament to the great future that lies ahead. With a range of exciting new Vaseline product innovations to restore your skin’s moisture and get you excited about skin care … it’s time for rediscovery. It is time to embrace the healing power of Vaseline.
About Direct Relief
Direct Relief is a medical relief organisation, active in all 50 states in the USA and in 70 countries globally. The organisation has been among the world's largest medical suppliers to West Africa in response to the Ebola epidemic, to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, and to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.
Named among the world's 10 most innovative non-profits by Fast Company, Direct Relief has top charity ratings, including four-stars from Charity Navigator and a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes magazine. Among other distinctions, Direct Relief has received the 2014 CECP Directors' Award, the President's Award from Esri for excellence in GIS mapping, and the Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-profit Innovation. For more information visit http://www.DirectRelief.org