To celebrate their decade-long partnership Gucci and UNICEF have created a special short film that reveals the transformational power of education.
Growing Tall, is a short film highlighting the impact of education on girls’ lives. Directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker and cinematographer Christina Voros, and narrated by children, teachers and parents in rural Mozambique, the film documents the positive impact of education to transform lives, especially for girls and women.
A crowd of 100 were invited to the premiere screening of the film at New York’s Tribeca Grand Hotel. The powerful film reveals the inspiring progress of UNICEF and Gucci’s 10-year relationship – the fashion brand has helped more than 7.5 million children in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia to improve access to quality education.
Through its more than US$20 million commitment, Gucci has helped UNICEF and its partners train 8,700 teachers; construct nearly 300 school classrooms, offering a safe and protective environment in which children can learn and play; supply 14,600 school desks, so children have a proper place to concentrate and learn; construct more than 1,800 water and sanitation facilities in schools, ensuring clean water for drinking and hygiene; and work alongside governments to influence changes in education policy and advocate for improvements in the school curriculum.
Together Gucci and UNICEF are helping to educate a nation
Growing Tall focuses on the personal experiences of children, teachers and parents in a rural community in Mozambique as they reflect on the progress made in education over the past decade.
In a series of poignant monologues, thought-provoking messages help push the powerful tale along – “A lot can happen in ten years. A seed can become a tree… A child can become a teacher… A community can become stronger.”
The number of children enrolled in primary schools in Mozambique has increased from nearly 4 million in 2005 to 5.5 million in 2013. Worldwide, since 2000, 34 million more primary school-aged children have attended school than would have done so if earlier trends had continued. Despite this progress, some 58 million children of primary school age remain out of school, more than half of them are girls. And in sub-Saharan Africa, one in five children are out of school.
Gucci and UNICEF are doing as much as they can to change this, as one of the student’s reveals: “With education an entire generation can imagine a different future.”
