{"id":3585,"date":"2015-04-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.my-watchsite.com\/blog\/iwc-and-adriana-lima-inaugurated-the-library-the-little-prince-in-a-hospital-in-brazil-n1682\/"},"modified":"2015-04-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T22:00:00","slug":"iwc-and-adriana-lima-inaugurated-the-library-the-little-prince-in-a-hospital-in-brazil-n1682","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.my-watchsite.com\/blog\/iwc-and-adriana-lima-inaugurated-the-library-the-little-prince-in-a-hospital-in-brazil-n1682\/","title":{"rendered":"IWC and Adriana Lima inaugurated the library The Little Prince in a hospital in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"

14 April 2015 \u2013 Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and brand ambassador Adriana Lima today inaugurated the new recreation areas and a modern library at the children\u2019s hospital in Curitiba, Brazil. The extension was made possible by the proceeds from an auction in November 2014, when the sale of an IWC platinum watch raised CHF 40,000. Thanks to the commitment of IWC, which realized the project together with the Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry Youth Foundation, hospitalized children and young people can now take a break from the everyday life of an inpatient and have an inviting space in which to meet family and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome and play with me, I am so unhappy,\u201d read Adriana Lima, playing the part of the little prince in the eponymous tale by Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry. \u201cI cannot play with you,\u201d answered 13-year-old Fabiele, imitating the voice of the fox, \u201cI am not tamed.\u201d An enchanted group of young patients hung on every word in the new library at the Pequeno Pr\u00edncipe children\u2019s hospital in Curitiba. As a brand ambassador of IWC Schaffhausen, the Brazilian supermodel read from Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry\u2019s work \u201cThe Little Prince\u201d after cutting the ribbon at the official opening ceremony of the newly designed recreation areas.<\/p>\n

She was assisted by Fabiele, the children\u2019s hospital\u2019s guest of honour at the opening. The 13-year-old was afflicted by an extremely rare syndrome before her second birthday and has since spent her life travelling back and forth between home and the hospital. But she refuses to let her physical limitations get her down. She is a voracious reader, loves poetry and is a keen football fan. Adriana Lima appeared impressed by the facilities. \u201cI took a tour through the hospital\u2019s various departments and visited lots of the children,\u201d she said. \u201cThe medical care is first-class, but these children have to put up with a lot. They just want a bit of normality, a change from hospital life, and a place where they can meet up with each other or their families and friends. I\u2019m delighted that our library has given them a space that meets those needs.\u201d <\/p>\n

Selected books, computers and e-books will allow young patients to discover the joy of reading and culture, and take pleasure in constructive leisure time activities. The president of the hospital, Ety Gon\u00e7alves Forte, is grateful for the donation: \u201cThe new library now offers more than one thousand books, while four mobile library carts will grant access to books even to those patients who cannot leave their beds. This is fantastic!\u201d The Pequeno Pr\u00edncipe children\u2019s hospital in Brazil is a respected centre specializing in highly complex heart operations, organ and bone transplants and the treatment of cancer. It treats children from all over Brazil as well as neighbouring countries. Around 19,000 operations are carried out here every year. The hospital also treats around 319,000 outpatients and admits another 24,000 as inpatients annually. About 70 per cent of the hospital\u2019s capacity is reserved for patients who are eligible for treatment under Brazil\u2019s universal free health service. This means low-income families are also able to benefit from the hospital\u2019s outstanding health care services.<\/p>\n

WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE CHILDREN <\/strong><\/p>\n

IWC entered into its partnership with Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry\u2019s descendants in 2006. Since then, the company has unveiled a series of special limited-edition Pilot\u2019s Watches that have helped keep the memory of the extraordinary French author and pilot alive to this day. Several unique pieces in platinum have fetched top prices at auction, and IWC has used the proceeds to support many projects for the benefit of disadvantaged children. As recently as November 2014, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer donated an expensive timepiece that went under the hammer at Sotheby\u2019s Geneva. The Pilot\u2019s Watch Chronograph Edition \u201cThe Last Flight\u201d in platinum (Ref. IW388005) sold for a winning bid of CHF 40,000. The entire proceeds went to the Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry Youth Foundation, which used them to provide the children\u2019s hospital in Brazil with a new library and renovated recreation areas. \u201cIt\u2019s a privilege that by working with such reliable partners as the descendants of Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry we\u2019ve been able to achieve our goals for the good of the children. Reading is an important source of inspiration, and the new library will help children whose world has shrunk to the confines of the hospital ward to keep their minds open and alert,\u201d said Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. For him, corporate social responsibility is a pressing duty for any successful company today.<\/p>\n

TWO PARTNERS \u2013 ONE MISSION <\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the many projects for which IWC and the Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry Youth Foundation have joined forces is their support of the humanitarian Vol de Nuit\/Vuelo Nocturno institution in Argentina. Active in Buenos Aires and its suburbs, the charity liaises closely with schools, homes and organizations working with street children, helping to protect many of them from lives of crime, begging and neglect. \u201cFor our mission, we depend on the generous support of strong partners like IWC Schaff hausen,\u201d explained Olivier d\u2019Agay, great-nephew of Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry and Director Saint-Exup\u00e9ry \u2013 d\u2019Agay Estate. \u201cLast year, thanks to IWC\u2019s help, we were able to complete two new school buildings in Cambodia and take active measures against illiteracy.\u201d Proceeds from another auction financed construction of the \u201cEcole des Sables \u2013 Antoine de Saint Exup\u00e9ry\u201d, a school in the Mali desert. Here, boarding facilities mean nomadic children have the chance to attend school eight months of the year.<\/p>\n

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN <\/strong><\/p>\n

With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing timepieces of lasting value since 1868. The company has gained an international reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenu ity. One of the world\u2019s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of haute horlogerie at their finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design. As an ecologically and socially responsible company, IWC is committed to sustainable production, supports institutions around the globe in their work with children and young people, and maintains partnerships with organizations dedicated to climate and environmental protection.<\/p>\n

THE ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUP\u00c9RY YOUTH FOUNDATION <\/strong><\/p>\n

Under the aegis of the Fondation de France, the Foundation was created by Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry\u2019s heirs and his admirers from the worlds of aeronautics and literature to promote the great French writer\u2019s humanist philosophy. Liaising closely with companies that share its values and aims, the Foundation works primarily to help disadvantaged young people all over the world by encouraging and financing local initiatives designed to provide education and training across a broad spectrum of areas. By instilling a sense of purpose into young people and teaching them to live together as part of their communities, to find fulfilment in work and to access culture through reading and writing, it helps them to become responsible citizens.
Website: www.fasej.org <\/p>\n