Mobil invests to help keep Kiwi kids safe

Media Release
6 December 2016

Mobil invests to help keep Kiwi kids safe

Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited (Mobil) today welcomed the launch of an innovative new project that aims to keep Kiwi children safe in their homes.

Mobil has committed $60,000 to support the Safekids Whare, a travelling exhibition developed by Safekids Aotearoa. It is designed to raise awareness about preventing unintentional child injuries in the home.

On average such injuries kill at least one Kiwi child per week, and hospitalise dozens more. Most of the victims are aged under five. In addition to the physical and psychological harm, treating such injuries costs tens of millions of dollars a year.

The Safekids Whare is a large, mobile exhibition that looks like a real house, with interactive demonstrations showing how to stop injuries such as falls, burns, drowning and poisoning. In 2017, it will be taken to communities in 10 regions around the country, and to help it get around, Mobil has pledged $30,000 this year and $30,000 in 2017, to pay for transport and storage costs.

“Mobil is very pleased to support an initiative that aims to keep children safe in the place they should be safest – their own homes,” said Andrew McNaught, of Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited. “Safety is a core principle for Mobil, and extending our safety focus to the community in this way is a natural fit for us.”

The Safekids Whare will be on display at Auckland City Hospital from 6-9 December, before its national tour begins. Its first stops are Hamilton (10 December), Palmerston North (19 February) Hastings (22-25 February) and Porirua (11 March). For more information, visit www.safekids.nz
Mobil’s support for the roadshow is in addition to the $24,000 it donated to Safekids in 2015 for the production, distribution and promotion of home safety checklists and posters, and their translation into Māori, Samoan, Tongan and Chinese.

“As a company, Mobil has a strong focus on preventing workplace injuries; what we call Actively Caring,” Mr McNaught said. “Likewise, we want to do all we can to prevent injuries in the home.”

Mobil has long supported community organisations in New Zealand through its Community Contributions Programme, which provides financial assistance for projects that promote education, health and safety, environment, and volunteering.

Projects funded in recent years include the Bright Future Grants for maths and science education in schools and kindergartens; sponsorship of the NZ Marine Studies Centre's educational resources promoting a healthy marine environment; and the Volunteer Involvement Programme that provides $1000 grants to groups nominated by Mobil employees who volunteer with them.

About Actively Caring
Mobil strives to reinforce the importance of workers looking out for each other in the workplace, encouraging and empowering people to intervene on behalf of others, when faced with a potential at-risk situation. Its focus is on training people to be more effective at intervention, as well as being intervened upon.

ends

© Scoop Media