Le Meridien Amman and Starwood Hotels and Resorts Launch Associate Fundraising Challenge To Raise Money For UNICEF's Education Programmes in Pakistan and Romania

AMMAN, JORDAN, May 24, 2011 (Press-News.org) Le Meridien Amman has hosted "Play For UNICEF" Football Tournament from May 9th - May 18th between 8 five star hotels in Amman as part of Starwood's Road to Awareness fundraising initiative, which aims to raise US$250,000 for UNICEF's education programmes in Pakistan and Romania where millions of children are missing out on their right to go to school.

Nearly a year after the floods that hit Pakistan and destroyed over 10,000 schools, millions of children are still unable to attend primary school, while poverty and discrimination in Romania means that up to 400,000 children are excluded from the education system.

UNICEF, the world's leading children's organisation, is working in both countries to urgently overcome these challenges and the money raised through this year's Road to Awareness campaign will play a vital role in supporting that work.

The funds raised will support eight schools in Southern Pakistan, helping to purchase books and other learning materials as well as supporting the creation of safe spaces to enable children to play and learn. In addition, this year's Road to Awareness donations will support a 'Back to School' campaign in Sindh province, which will use art and media to encourage children to go back to school.

In Romania, funds raised will help to provide some of the country's poorest communities with essential school equipment, such as blackboards and computers.

UNICEF UK's Head of Corporate Partnerships, Verity Rowles commented: "It is deeply worrying that millions of children are missing out on their right to go to school. Education can drastically change a young person's life for the better, giving them the skills, knowledge and confidence they need for a brighter future."

"I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Le Meridien Amman for their support in helping to put it right for vulnerable children in Pakistan and Romania."

Giuseppe Ressa; General Manager of Le Meridien Amman said of the fundraising initiative: "This initiative is a great opportunity for us to demonstrate our continuous commitment towards the welfare of the communities worldwide. It also provided an excellent occasion for the members of the hospitality industry to meet and develop a friendly and courteous relationship, which will further enhance our solidarity and sense of common interest."

Each year Starwood's Road to Awareness campaign raises money for a different area of UNICEF's work and over the past three years has successfully raised over a US$1 million for UNICEF projects around the world.

Roeland Vos, President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa & Middle East, shares, "This vital programme has enabled the vaccination of more than one million children against six potentially fatal diseases and saved their lives. Starwood has extended its partnership with UNICEF to focus on projects providing children all over the world with access to education, enabling them to become fully independent members of society. We look forward to working with UNICEF for many years to come and we are really proud of our associates who work so hard to contribute to this partnership."

For more information on Road to Awareness and details on how to donate please go to http://www.roadtoawareness.com

For more information about Le Meridien Amman please contact Sewar Sawalha
Telephone: 00962 6 5696511
Email: sewar.sawalha@lemeridien.com

For more information about UNICEF please contact Liz Jones at lizj@unicef.org.uk or on +44 207 375 6096

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1025 properties in 100 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis , The Luxury Collection , W , Westin , Le Meridien , Sheraton , Four Points by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft , and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit http://www.starwoodhotels.com.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world's leading organisation working for children and their rights in more than 190 countries. As champion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works to help every child realise their full potential. Together with our partners, UNICEF delivers health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need, while working with governments to ensure they deliver on their promise to protect and promote the rights of every child. UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations from individuals, governments, institutions and corporations, and is not funded by the UN budget. For more information, please visit http://www.unicef.org.uk

About Check Out For Children
The Check Out for Children partnership between UNICEF and Starwood Hotels & Resorts was launched in London in November 1995 by UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Sir Roger Moore KBE. The programme now operates in over 250 hotels across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In 2006, Starwood Hotels & Resorts won the UNICEF UK's prestigious Corporate Partnership Award in recognition of its significant contribution to the work of UNICEF. The award, which is only granted every 10 years, is given as a way of acknowledging the exceptional contribution of an organisation to the fulfillment of UNICEF's mission for children during the last decade. Since 1995, guests at participating Starwood hotels around the world have donated over US$24 million to UNICEF by agreeing to the addition of US$1 (or local currency equivalent) to their bills when they check out.