Persil Abaya Shampoo, a world-class innovation from the first self-acting laundry detergent in the world Persil and epitomizing fibre-deep cleanliness and the perfect colour for black Abaya, has announced the launch of the first-ever Arwaa Abaya Auction in association with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] – the UN agency mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees worldwide.
As part of the unique charity initiative, all proceeds from the Arwaa Abaya Auction will be donated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
To participate in the charity auction, Abaya lovers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia need to log onto www.souq.com between 20th September 2010 and 3rd October 2010. The Auction, to run for two weeks, will feature the top 15 Abaya designs chosen from the recently-held Arwaa Abaya 2010 Competition.
In his comments on this unique CSR initiative, Memosh Khawaja, General Manager of Henkel Saudi Arabia, said: "We are extremely proud to be working closely with UNHCR on this unique and first-of-its-kind Arwaa Abaya Auction. This Auction is part of our commitment to the community and if we can spread some smiles around we are happy to have done our duty to the society. This support is part of our endeavor to support humanitarian causes around the world and we are thankful to UNHCR for giving us an opportunity to contribute. On behalf of Henkel, I call upon all Abaya lovers to log into www.souq.com and actively participate in the auction."
The auction is a partnership between Persil Abaya Shampoo, UNHCR and Al Yashmak; and will be supported by various social media activities, and campaigns on MBC.net, Souq.com and Yahoo.
In comments on Persil Abaya Shampoo's association, Firas Kayal, External Relations Officer at UNHCR, said: "Globally, UNHCR assists some 34.4 million persons. The donations we receive primarily from the governments but also from the private sector surely help in achieving our objectives to provide protection and durable solutions to refugees. We are thankful to Henkel Saudi Arabia and Persil Abaya Shampoo for assisting the refugees through the Auction."
The Arwaa Abaya competition, broadcasted recently on MBC 1, involved eight short-listed Abaya designers from the region who showcased their latest designs and preparation footage. Aya Abdallah was adjudged the winner of the competition. A Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/persilabayaworld?ref=ts) is also created and has nearly 8000 fans.
Persil's association with the Arwaa Abaya Auction and the competition is part of its strategy to contribute actively to social causes and also bring to the fore the best Abaya design talent in the Middle East. The Persil Abaya Shampoo offers the perfect Abaya cleanliness & black colour retention with its revolutionary German technology 'black colour lock', protecting the blackness of the Abaya and keeps as good as new after every wash, besides safeguarding the fabric feel.
The competition is the brainchild of Persil, part of the German Fortune 500 company Henkel. The 3 main divisions within Henkel are Home Care, Cosmetics, and Adhesives. All these 3 divisions have strong presence in the GCC region.
