Most brands get involved in some kind of community or social activity – it’s good for business, provides good photo opportunities and deflects attention away from unsavoury subjects such as executive pay, environmental pollution and fair trade.

So it would be easy to take the same cynical view of Land Rover’s involvement with the Red Cross. But that would be a mistake. More than any other automotive car maker we can think of, Land Rover operates a solid sustainability programme, getting involved in hundreds of personal stories and relief efforts without waiting for any fanfare or photo opp. – see here.

The really clever thing about Land Rover’s involvement is that it also demonstrates the capabilities of its cars in action. Take the Sierra Leone Red Cross for example, Land Rover has donated eight vehicles and is providing vital funding over the next three years to the child advocacy and rehabilitation (CAR) programme, which is helping young people traumatised by the country’s ten-year civil war to recover and reintegrate back into society.

Thanks to Land Rover’s support, the Sierra Leone Red Cross is able to run five CAR centres across the country, helping 12,600 vulnerable young people each year. The teams are able to reach people in outlying areas using the rugged capabilities of the Land Rover Defenders, which in turn enables them to genuinely ‘save lives’.

Pretty cool eh?

Social intervention doesn’t get much more targeted than that and clearly shows that Land Rover are putting their money (and cars) to good use.

The purpose of this video is to remind us of the important work being done, and see if it can encourage a few of us to join Land Rover and the Red Cross in supporting these efforts.

If you feel inclined you can make a donation at http://www.redcross.org.uk/landrover.

africa charity child advocacy help land rover rehabilitation sierra leone sustainability