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Hilary Benn supports a trial of ColaLife

2 November 2010 By Leave a Comment

I got an email this morning which warmed my heart! It was from Hilary Benn MP who was the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs while I was on secondment to Defra until June this year. More significantly perhaps, he was the Secretary of State for International Development from 2003-2007 and so has significant experience and knowledge of overseas aid. Hilary said ”I am very happy for you to put the following quote from me on your website”:

“ColaLife is a really imaginative, practical and worthwhile project which aims to help save people’s lives. I wish the trial every success and I hope you get all the support you deserve.”
Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP

He aslo urged us to keep going! We will.

Image drawn from the Daily Telegraph

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign Tagged With: ,

Public Health Guru, Prof Don Nutbeam, on ColaLife

9 December 2009 By Leave a Comment

First it was David Berman author of Do Good Design talking about ColaLife in a Peachpit TV interview and then I was sent a link to the above video interview featuring Professor Don Nutbeam. When this was filmed (June 2009), Don was Honourary Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney who also talks about ColaLife in the context of ‘making the most of what is already there’ to improve public health, or ‘going with the grain’. He says:

I’ve been working . . . with a campaign to try to persuade Coca-Cola who have frankly the best distribution network in Africa to use their distribution network to deliver essential medicines. They can deliver Coca-Cola to pretty much any corner of Africa and we in public health seem to be miserable at achieving the same goal so why not try to work with the grain.

Brilliant. Don is now Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton (=accessible!).

Other big names and ColaLife.

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David Berman on ColaLife

15 November 2009 By 3 Comments

When putting together The ColaLife Channel I came across this interview with David Berman author of Do Good Design. Kate Andrews hooked us up at the beginning of the year when David’s book was published. In the interview David talks about ColaLife. The link is that on page 40 of his book in the chapter entitled ‘Pop Landscape’ David says:

Imagine what would be possible if The Coca-Cola Company’s uncommonly efficient distribution system in Africa could be harnessed to deliver health information, medicine, and condoms, in addition to caffeinated sugar water.

He hadn’t come across ColaLife at this point. David has been on a World Tour promoting his book which has just been translated into Chinese. He has been using ColaLife as a case study of “what others do while I rant”! The second edition of the book will mention ColaLife.

Cheers David.

Other big names and ColaLife.

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Bob Geldof on ColaLife, condoms and the Pope (take 2)

5 April 2009 By 3 Comments

Another take on the Bob Geldof ColaLife conversation, this time from Lloyd Davis of perfect path. Lloyd is the inspiration behind The Tuttle Club and was a fellow G20 Voice Blogger. I like this take as it shows Nick filming the conversation, the hand shake and tap on the shoulder! You can see Lloyd’s original post here. Thanks Lloyd.

Other big names and ColaLife.

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign, Featured, g20buzz, g20voice, Videos, whitebandradar Tagged With: , , , ,

Bob Geldof on ColaLife, Condoms and the Pope

2 April 2009 By 7 Comments

Simon Berry talks to Bob Geldof about Colalife.org, condoms and the Pope from Podnosh on Vimeo.

Thanks to Nick Booth’s (podnosh) journalistic instincts I was able to get in front of Bob Geldof and, rather nervously, explain the ColaLife campaign to him. He got it and had some interesting observations. It is clear we share a similar view on the Pope’s recent comments on condoms. See the original post with Nick’s commentary here.

This what happened immediately after my conversation. I got in just in time. After the conversation with Bob Geldof, I was interviewed by Associated Press . . . who know’s where that will end up.

Bob Geldof scrum

Other big names and ColaLife.

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign, g20buzz, g20voice, whitebandradar Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dame Barbara Stocking on ColaLife

28 March 2009 By 1 Comment

I was asked to pop down to the headquarters of Oxfam GB today to put Yoosk.com users’ questions to Dame Barbara Stocking, Oxfam’s CEO, in the build up to the G20 Summit. While I was there I had to ask her for her views on ColaLife and the AidPod. Unfortunately, there was a technical clitch with the flip video (user error) and I missed the first part of her comments where she made the point that it is true that you can get a Coca-Cola in most places but access to simple medicines was more difficult.

Dame Barbara highlighted the ‘issues’ associated with the ColaLife idea which are very familiar to those of us who have been working on the campaign for 10 months. We have several red lines:

  • The way ColaLife is implemented (or not) in any locality must be determined by local people and institutions. It should make these people and institions more effective;
  • ColaLife must not undermine the existing Coca-Cola distribution system;
  • ColaLife must have no detrimental effect on the incomes of those involved in Coca-Cola distribution and should preferably enhance it;
  • ColaLife must not undermine local livelihoods;
  • ColaLife must not undermine any system that is working!

You will note that at the end of the clip she says “Very exciting”.

Our thanks to Dame Barbara for allowing me to video (part!) of the convesation.

Other big names and ColaLife.

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign, g20buzz, g20voice, Videos, whitebandradar Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

My letter to Annie Lennox of 30/5/08

30 May 2008 By 1 Comment

Letter to Annie Lennox - 30/5/08

Here’s the transcript:

Dear Annie

On Desert Island Discs you said:

We can distribute Coca Cola all around the World but we can’t seem to get medication to save a child from something as simple as diarrhoea and I think that that is wrong. You know, you have a choice you either get involved with an issue or you walk away from it. I think it’s a human rights issue and I feel very passionately about human rights.

I was so delighted – I had to stop the car! I am trying to get Coca Cola to use their amazing distribution network in developing countries to distribute rehydration salts. Your comment inspired me to set up a facebook to gather people around this idea. For a week or so the group has been growing by about 2-3 per hour. Today it has really taken off and is growing at about 15 per hour.

You can read the full story of the campaign here: www.simonberry.net.

Would you be willing to lend your support to this cause? A person of your stature would make an enormous difference and may mean we could actually make this happen.

I hope you get to see this letter.

With best wishes

Simon

Further information:
All of the Coca Cola campaign posts

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign, Correspondence Tagged With: , ,

What Annie Lennox said

18 May 2008 By Leave a Comment

MP3 logoBy some miracle my PC and Radio Shark did record last Sunday’s (11/5/08) Desert Island Discs. Unfortunately it’s a very poor recording but this is what Annie Lennox said.

Just to put it into context, after talking about her passion for AIDS camapigns in South Africa and the fact that she’s set up her own campaign ‘Sing’. She then talked about that fact that she would have shared, with her father, the sense of injustice in the World. Then she said:

We can distribute Coca Cola all around the World but we can’t seem to get medication to save a child from something as simple as diarrhoea and I think that that is wrong. You know, you  have a choice you either get involved with an issue or you walk away from it. I think it’s a human rights issue and I feel very passionately about human rights.

Click the play button below:

What Annie Lennox said on Desert Island Discs | 11/5/08 by colalife

Addition links:

Calling Annie Lennox and Coca Cola

Using Coca Cola’s Distribution Muscle

Please join the Facebook group to support this campaign

Further information

All of the Coca Cola Campaign posts

Filed Under: Audio, Big names, Coca Cola Campaign Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Calling Annie Lennox and Coca Cola

16 May 2008 By 9 Comments

If you’ve come here from the iPM Blog, please consider joining the campaign on Facebook:  Let’s talk to Coca Cola about saving the World’s children Thanks.

Annie LennoxAn incredible coincidence has happened, involving this lovely woman – and it might even save some children’s lives.

A couple of weeks ago I finally got around to blogging an idea of how Coca Cola could save lives by using their distribution muscle in developing countries.

Since then I have been trying to get through to Coca Cola with some success. I got an email reply from their CSR people (see image). Unfortunately, it’s very defensive and points out all the good work they are doing already. I followed up the email with a call to Etlyn Thomas (you could call her too!). She was very nice (and so was I!). I made the point that I was not critisising Coca Cola in anyway. I was simply suggesting how they might build on the good work they are already doing in a way that would save lives and greatly enhance the Coca Cola brand.

Coca Cola's reply

Encouragingly, Etlyn said she had escalated the suggestion to someone more senior in the CSR department.

In the meantime – and this is the exciting bit – Annie Lennox, on the 11/5/08 edition of Desert Island Discs (repeated today) seemed to be on exactly the same wavelength. She pointed out that we live in a time when we can distribute Coca Cola to all corners of the World but children still die, usually of dehydration. (If you have a recording, it’s right at the end, around the 42 minute mark). I’m going to write to Annie next.

I also tried to get this idea debated on IPM on 10/5/08 and they said they’d call Coca Cola. I don’t know if they did. I’ve followed this up today. I’ve also followed up my call to Etlyn with this:

Hi Etlyn

Thanks for speaking with me on the phone about the dehydration salts distribution idea. Did you hear Annie Lennox on Desert Islands Disks? She said “We live in age where we can get Coca Cola to all corners of the world but where children die, usually of dehydration.” I’m going to write to Annie but would also like to speak to the person you escalated my idea to if that was possible. My mobile number is 07932 107109. I hope to hear from you again soon.

Regards

Simon
16/05/2008

If you’ve got this far, you’re interested in this too! Why not pick the phone up to Etlyn yourself or register and comment on the IPM Blog.

I’ve feeling we might just get through!

Further information

All of the Coca Cola Campaign posts

Filed Under: Big names, Coca Cola Campaign, Correspondence Tagged With: , , , , , , ,