The beneficiary of this year's Norwegian telethon is Save the Children, a charity supported by Hydro employees for many years. An auction on the Oseberg C platform will be featured in Sunday's TV programme. When the TV crew dropped in on the platform they received a most welcome surprise - a big cheque from Hydro Corporate.
Great interest was shown during the recent auction on Oseberg C, when home-made gifts and purchased items were auctioned off at good prices.
A total of NOK 34,360 was the result of the entertaining arrangement hosted by the telethon's front figure, Marianne Furevold. Together with NRK producer Kristine Ramm, she was very impressed by people's generosity on the platform.
Jan Ove Svåsand Johansen crafted a beautiful piece of silver jewellery which, together with a matching bracelet by Fredrik Hemmingsson, gained NOK 3,000 for Save the Children. Rita Vestby presented a lovely glass dish, Tove Mordal a glass bowl, while Therese Nilsen knitted two sets of pretty dolls' clothing. The Oseberg C employees dug deep in order to obtain these attractive items.
In addition, Rita Vestby also donated a glass dish to be auctioned during the Save the Children telethon itself, on 19 October.
"I never realized that this it what they produce out here!" exclaimed Furevold.
NOK 750,000 from Hydro
Hydro Corporate decided to donate NOK 750,000 to this year's telethon, and a big cheque for this sum was handed over by Oseberg C platform manager Geir Kulås. The donation came as quite a surprise for the TV team.
"Thanks to all of you on Oseberg C, I have managed to collect more money on my travels than my programme colleague Håkon Haugsbø," said Furevold, smiling broadly.
The telethon will be broadcast on NRK1 on Sunday, 19 October. The funds raised are intended to pay for the schooling of thousands of children throughout the world.
NOK million salary donation
Hydro explains that the telethon donations for Save the Children come after the company's employees have contributed to the organization's work through voluntary deductions from their monthly salaries, which have amounted to more than NOK 1 million each year. And Hydro Corporate now wishes to follow up this good work.
Hydro's employees in Norway have taken part in the salary deduction action for Save the Children since 1986. The funds are currently being spent on an educational programme in Guatemala city, where some 2 000 children between seven and 17 years are being given an education between workshifts in the "al Terminal" market. Save the Children and its local partner PENNAT run a school here, located in two small storerooms on the second floor of the market.