Cisneros Media, the corporate division encompassing the Cisneros’ media and entertainment businesses around the world, and the Miss Venezuela pageant, which reaches a television audience of more than 15 million viewers, have partnered with the interactive cause-marketing platform, in/PACT ,to make substantial donations to four teen pregnancy prevention organizations: PLAFAM, Prosalud, Provive, and Niña Madre.

“We could not be more excited for the opportunity to help direct funds to such an important cause,” said John McNeel, CEO of in/PACT.  “The Miss Venezuela pageant’s reputation for purpose is well underscored by this commitment to giving back to their local community.”

During Venevision’s live broadcast of the 2015 Miss Venezuela pageant on October 8th, the television audience had the opportunity to select the teen pregnancy prevention organization of their preference to receive the Cisneros Media’s contribution. Viewers played an important role in deciding where the money was to be allocated by voting for the nonprofit of their choice during the live broadcast via their smartphones or online on a customized site provided by in/PACT.

The nonprofit Niña Madre was the most popular among viewers, receiving 55% of the votes, leading it to receive 55% of the total contribution. It was followed by PLAFAM, Prosalud, and Provive. The donations were awarded during a private ceremony held recently at Venevision’s headquarters in Caracas, Venezuela, where they were presented by the winners of this year’s pageant: Mariam Habach, Miss Venezuela Universe 2015; Andrea Rosales, Miss Venezuela Earth 2015; and Jessica Duarte, Miss Venezuela International 2015; accompanied by Maria Ignacia Arcaya, Vice President & Executive Director, Corporate Social Responsibility at Cisneros, and Andrea E. Pereira C., Monitoring & Evaluation Official of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

“in/PACT’s innovative platform undoubtedly enabled us to further engage our audience while generating awareness to such an important topic, teen pregnancy, which we’ve been addressing on all our media outlets, giving it prominent exposure during the recent Miss Venezuela pageant,” emphasized Jonathan Blum, President of Cisneros Media.

Gabriela Isler, Miss Venezuela 2013 who went on to be crowned Miss Universe in 2014, was the host of this year’s pageant, playing a prominent role in promoting the importance of raising awareness about teen pregnancy during its broadcast.

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 16 million teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 give birth each year, which accounts for almost 11 percent of all newborns worldwide. Nearly 95 percent of these births occur in low- to middle-income countries with close to 18 percent of those taking place in Latin America.

“At Cisneros, we strongly believe in joining forces to optimize the impact of our social awareness initiatives, and this is an excellent example of the types of synergies that allow us to do so successfully,” commented Maria Ignacia Arcaya, head of Cisneros’ Corporate Social Responsibility.