'Making a difference where and when it matters.'

The Vodafone Group Foundation has invested over £100 million in projects since its creation in 2002 concentrating on disaster relief, helping disadvantaged children via sport and music initiatives and specific projects across Vodafone's 23 local Foundations worldwide.

The areas where Sport and Music can make a contribution and in which The Vodafone Group Foundation Trustees are interested include;

• Health: increasing awareness of HIV / Aids, tackling heart disease and obesity and promoting well being
• Education: improving behaviour, literacy and numeracy skills, cultivating citizenship
• Welfare: alleviating poverty and the development of sustainable economic activity

Due to the success of Red Dust’s innovative health promotion charity and its effective remote community programs – the Vodafone Group Foundation has made a multi-million dollar charitable donation which has enable Red Dust to expand internationally. This funding support from the global foundation of Vodafone builds on the significant existing partnership Red Dust holds with the Vodafone Australia Foundation.

From the Vodafone Group Annual Review 2007/08

We were delighted to announce our support in Asia Pacific for the volunteer charity, Red Dust Role Models. The scheme uses celebrities in the fields of sport, music and entertainment to promote positive lifestyle messages to young people.

The programme is already successful in Australia through a longstanding partnership with the Vodafone Australia Foundation and, with our additional funds of £1.3 million over three years, we will extend the work to other countries. During the year, projects were planned in Fiji and New Zealand and we ran a pilot project in Mumbai, India.

A registered non-profit organisation, Red Dust Role Models aims to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged young people who live in remote or isolated communities.

Elite athletes and other role models volunteer their time to visit schools, youth organisations and health clinics throughout the Australian Outback and across the Asia Pacific region, spreading the word about healthy living and promoting education as a pathway to new opportunities.

Among those already involved are: Indian cricketers RP Singh and Vinod Kambli, Australian tae kwondo gold medal Olympian Lauren Burns, Australian swimming world champion Linley Frame and Australian basketball player Brett Wheeler.