The Coca-Cola Book Bank celebrates 50th International Literacy Day

Lahore, September 07, 2016: Marking the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day, The Coca-Cola Export Corporation, Pakistan branch,reactivated its campaign – The Coca-Cola Book Bank; a drive to reuse non-serviceable visi-coolers for collectingbooks from the public at large which they no longer need, for donation to leading education sector NGOs, The Citizens Foundation and CARE Foundation. The old glass-fronted visi-coolers were converted into Book Banks and book donors were rewarded with chilled complimentary Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola Pakistan undertook the activity at the premises of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in an effort to gain student support for the noble cause, and at Coca-Cola Beverages Pakistan Ltd (CCBPL), promoting employee engagement within the Coca-Cola System.

A similar activity was organizedlast year in Karachi, through which over 3,500 books were collected for students of The Citizens Foundation. The Coca-Cola Book Bank activity was mainly promoted through social media outreach, and gained immense traction. The activity also recently won the prestigious SABRE Gold Standard Award for Best Social Media Campaign of South Asia. The award-winning activity was a part ofongoing efforts by Coca-Cola Pakistan to raise awareness of importance of education in Pakistan, primarily targeting the youth of the country.

On this occasion, Rizwan U. Khan, General Manager, The Coca-Cola Company, Pakistan & Afghanistan, stated,“Supporting education has been a pillar of Coca-Cola Pakistan’s corporate social responsibility programme for over 12 years. From establishing 2 schools for less privileged children in partnership with The Citizens Foundation, to adopting 6 government schools, to setting up an endowment fund at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, to supporting education sector NGO, CARE Foundation, and still other activities, Coca-Cola Pakistan has continually expanded its outreach in this vital area. And now the Coca-Cola Book Bank initiative takes our mission further forward, creating an excellent opportunity for the public to also participate in this noble mission through donating books on International Literacy Day and thus working to make education available to all.”