Emerging filmmaker Paris Brosnan releases a short film and series of photographs that capture the ongoing work being done in Sri Lanka by the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which is supported by Clarins and FEED Foundation.
Clarins has been partnering with FEED — a social impact-driven brand founded by Lauren Bush Lauren — to deliver high-quality, nutritious food into the hands of children around the world. Launched in 2011, the FEED & Clarins partnership has supported organizations like WFP, helping fund over 30 million school meals by the end of 2019. This year, FEED & Clarins’ efforts are focused on changing lives in Sri Lanka.
Brosnan, the 18-year-old son of actor and producer Pierce Brosnan and filmmaker and journalist Keely Shaye Brosnan, recently traveled to Sri Lanka with Bush Lauren and Clarins company chairman Christian Courtin-Clarins to document firsthand how WFP’s on-the-ground program there has been supporting children and helping the regional economy develop. WFP connects local farmers with its school meals program that help under-nourished students reach their full potential, both mentally and physically. In turn, those farmers are able to employ their neighbors, including many women.
“Traveling to Sri Lanka was an amazing opportunity for a young filmmaker,” Brosnan says of his interest in spreading awareness about the project — especially to a younger generation that’s looking for ways to change the world. “I was drawn to Clarins and FEED’s mission to help solve childhood hunger through school feeding. This school meals program gives children a sense of belonging, community, and an education. This program is a powerful way to connect with children and to help them thrive. We not only visited schools, but also local farms. One of the most impressive aspects of this partnership is that local farmers are funded to grow rice to feed schoolchildren, which supports the local economy. I feel inspired to develop more socially relevant projects utilizing the resources I have and to create a platform that gives back to our global community.”
To fund these efforts, FEED & Clarins capitalizes on the prestige beauty brand’s global reach and influence. During FEED promotions each spring and fall, Clarins customers at Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and clarinsusa.com may purchase a cosmetics tote bag or pouch featuring the brand’s logo and a number indicating that the purchase has funded either 10 or 20 meals for kids (inside are trial-size products as a thank-you token). Beginning mid-June, clarins.com will provide five meals for every online order. “The number we put on every FEED bag or accessory connects customers with the cause in a tangible and shareable way. The idea is to elevate the concept of a gift with purchase to a ‘gift with purpose’, empowering Clarins customers to give directly to those who need it most, through their everyday purchasing choices, such as the ones they make at the makeup counter” says Bush Lauren. “Each meal we are able to help provide truly makes a difference to the child who receives it — for some, it may be the only meal they receive all day — and an entire school year of consistent meals can truly change a life.” Not only do guaranteed nutritious meals give children the energy they need to focus and learn, they also give parents an incentive to send their children to school — especially helpful for girls in countries where female education may not be as valued.
The partnership with FEED is a natural fit with Clarins’ core values and mission. “Respect has always been at the heart of the Clarins ethic — respect for the environment, for life, for people,” explains Courtin-Clarins. “That’s why Clarins believes that real beauty is expressed by taking action to make the world a better place. When I met with Lauren Bush Lauren, it was immediately clear that Clarins needed to be part of this project.” Through Brosnan’s film and his personal influence, FEED & Clarins hopes to further raise awareness about how people can make a real, measurable difference in the fight against childhood hunger—by making the world a better place for present and future generations, one meal at a time.
The full film can be viewed on the Clarins USA YouTube channel and clarinsusa.com.
