Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Stockholm, September 4, 2013 – Yesterday, at World Water Week in Stockholm, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Coca-Cola Company announced support for new programs under their Water and Development Alliance (WADA) that will provide over 190,000 people with improved clean water and/or improved sanitation services by the end of 2015.
As part of a first wave of new investments, WADA will support integrated approaches to clean water and sanitation service delivery in Africa where over 300 million people are without an improved water source and 630 million lack improved sanitation facilities. To address these challenges, the Alliance will support the development of infrastructure for clean water, sanitation and hygiene education for schools, clean water kiosks for communities, and the installation of sanitation infrastructure in schools and health clinics.
Highlights of the work to be supported include:
* Nigeria – At least 65,000 people will benefit from the installation of hand-pump boreholes, improved sanitation facilities, hand-washing stations and rain harvesters at schools and health care facilities. Communities will also be trained in the long-term maintenance of the infrastructure and water management committees will be offered capacity building services.
* Zambia – The project will provide sanitation facilities and hygiene education in schools in peri-urban Lusaka, benefiting up to 50,000 school children. The project includes resource mobilization strategies to support the long-term operations and maintenance of the schools’ water, sanitation and hygiene programs. It is also expected that this project will provide sustainable clean water access to up to 44,000 people through community water kiosks and a distribution network.
* Ghana – Over 35,000 people will benefit from the construction of clean water kiosks and sanitation services to include the provision of total sanitation marketing campaigns.
“This important public-private partnership builds on our Agency’s new and first-ever Water and Development Strategy to improve health and food security across the world. Its programs represent the next generation of this vital alliance–helping families lift themselves out of poverty and communities onto a path towards sustainable development,” said USAIDAdministrator Dr. Rajiv Shah.
“Water stewardship is a key priority for our business and we are committed to returning the water we use in our beverages and their production back to communities,” said Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO. “We are pleased to launch the next phase of impact with one of our longest standing and most valued partners, USAID. Expanding our work together will help bring safe water to thousands of people in communities we serve and continue to bring us closer to meeting our replenishment goal.”
WADA is a collaboration between the Coca-Cola system (including corporate, foundations and bottling partners) and USAID to improve water resource management and expand access to improved drinking water and sanitation services for poor and marginalized people in developing countries. WADA has impacted more than 374,000 people with improved water access in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Additional people have been impacted through sanitation, watershed restoration, sustainable agriculture, conservation and other activities.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, with an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities by focusing on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com.
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