Mars Wrigley Ireland has announced the return of its ‘Chew for Change’ initiative for the third year, in partnership with SOS Children’s Villages.

The campaign will run for ten weeks, until 29 April, across all major retailers nationwide. Mars will donate a portion of Extra Chewing gum sales during this time, with a minimum donation pledge of €40,000,.

The Chew for Change campaign in Ireland has raised more than €80,000 since 2022 for oral health and family support programmes, while the international campaign has raised more than €3.1 million, and supported more than 364,000 children since 2013.

Between 60 per cent and 90 per cent * of all school-going children are impacted by dental cavities, with tooth decay particularly prevalent in disadvantaged communities globally. This makes tooth decay one the most common chronic diseases in the world, despite being almost entirely preventable.

The SOS Children’s Villages Oral Health Programme uses donations to combat this disease by funding:

• Training and support for project managers in communities
• Supply teaching materials, and providing toothbrushes and toothpaste
• Hosting training programmes for teachers, caregivers, and health personnel so that they can pass this knowledge on to the children in their community. 

Welcoming the return of the Chew for Change campaign, Katrine Grytter, Corporate Affairs Director  at Mars MultisalesNorth Europe, said: “We’re pleased to launch the third year of Ireland’s Chew for Change campaign and raise funds to support the important work of SOS Children’s Villages. Oral hygiene is so important to a person’s health and overall wellbeing, so we’re proud to have enabled over 30,000 children to have access to this programme over the past two years through the funds raised by the campaign.”

Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages in the UK said: “In many underserved and impoverished areas globally, the lack of health education and access to proper cleaning products contributes to inadequate dental hygiene. This partnership between Mars Wrigley Extra and SOS Children’s Villages is essential as it allows us to bridge the gap, providing essential education and access to much-needed dental healthcare.”

Extra® is also an important funding partner in SOS Children’s Village’s work supporting vulnerable families in Chipata, Zambia via their Family Strengthening Programme. This programme works with families in this region who need support to take care of their children, providing family counselling, health follow-ups, and support for education and income-generating work. Each family receives tailored support based on their situation and conditions, with the intention of building socially sustainable communities.

Programme supports include:

• Access to dental healthcare, general healthcare and nutritional services
• The development and funding of small business and micro enterprise initiatives
• Skills training and education supports 
• Community development programmes