Procter & Gamble (P&G) is committed to leveraging a tiny packet in a big way for the one billion people who still live without clean drinking water. Today, P&G announced that its non-profit initiative, the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW), has provided its 12th billion litre of clean drinking water as part of P&G’s commitment to help address the global water crisis.
This key milestone was celebrated in Kampala, where CSDW was also marking its 12th year of providing clean drinking water to needy communities around Uganda. Since its inception in 2004, CSDW has worked with a global network of more than 150 advocacy and implementation partners by providing clean drinking water during emergencies and in sustained community programs.
Procter &Gamble’s CSDW Program’s Director, Ms Allison Tummon Kamphuis said CSDW Program was initiated to address the global crisis of lack of access to clean drinking water using a simple technology that is the P&G Purifier of Water.
“We’ve seen the tremendous impact these packets can have when they are made available to people who need them,” said Ms Tummon. “The ability for people to make their own clean drinking water helps families avoid waterborne diseases, keeps children healthy so they can stay in school and helps entire communities.”
“Through a powder technology that kills deadly viruses and bacteria, removes dirt, parasites and other pollutants, contaminated water is made clean and drinkable for thousands of families across the country. Since 2004, P&G Purifier of Water Packets have been shared in more than 85 countries and the program has grown thanks to a worldwide network of NGO and government partners,” she added.
The P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme in Uganda is one of the larger P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water initiatives worldwide. Working with PSI’s local affiliate PACE Uganda, ChildFund, Alive Medical Services, Save the Children, MSH, FXB, Action Against Hunger and others, P&G has helped purify more than 400 million litres of dirty water since 2005. P&G works with both local and international partners to provide clean water to families in rural areas, people affected by cholera outbreaks and floods as well as to people living with HIV-AIDS.
P&G’s commitment to Uganda continues and specifically, this year, the company will invest more than 1.6 billion UG shillings to provide nearly 60 million liters of clean drinking water to more than 75,000 people in Uganda.
In Uganda, 35% of people do not have access to safe drinking water. This not only affects their health, but also their education and economic opportunities – thus perpetuating a seemingly inescapable cycle of poverty.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner of Water and Environmental Sector, Engineer Disan K. Ssozi commended Procter and Gamble for their continuous efforts to improve the lives of thousands of Ugandans.
“The impact of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Programme cannot be over-emphasized because lack of access to clean water has detrimental effects on families and communities. Providing a way for these communities to access to safe water helps them lead healthier, productive lives which in turn lead to better socio-economic standing.”
“The Ministry of Water and Environment has registered great success in improving access to safe water across the nation. And with partners such as Procter and Gamble coming in to supplement these efforts, I firmly believe that we will soon be able to fulfil our vision of providing clean and accessible water to every Ugandan,” he concluded.