Water Stewardship and Replenish Report - Psddev.com

Delivering Water for
Health and Human Prosperity
Access to safe water and basic sanitation is the foundation of sustainable progress toward health, child survival, gender equity, education,
environmental protection, poverty alleviation, and human security—all fundamental to economic development. In fact, safe drinking
water and sanitation are the most effective—and among the most efficient—ways to improve health and alleviate poverty. Each
investment in safe drinking water and sanitation provides an 8:1 return by way of reduced healthcare needs and time saved, which can
be redirected toward positive economic development3 .
Since 2005, The Coca-Cola Company and our partners have supported more than 90 projects in over 45 countries that provide access
to water and sanitation or water for productive use. To date, 1.6 million adults and children around the world have directly
benefited from better access to clean water, sanitation facilities, or improved livelihoods that depend on water
availability. As a result, exposure to water-borne illness decreases, time spent retrieving water can be reduced, more students—
especially girls—can attend schools, and farmers can achieve greater crop yields through access to efficient irrigation.
Accessing Clean Water and Sanitation
In 2011, we continued advancing toward our goal to provide over 2 million people with access to clean water by 2015
through the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN)—our six-year, $30 million commitment to provide access to safe drinking
water for communities throughout the continent. Also as part of RAIN, in 2011 we joined Diageo Plc, WaterHealth
International, and the International Finance Corporation in launching the Safe Water for Africa program. This business-led
initiative will bring World Health Organization-quality water to hundreds of communities in West Africa. Long-term operation and
maintenance will be achieved through cost recovery that supports the program’s sustainability.
Also during 2011 we began working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with CARE International to increase access to safe water
and sanitation services by constructing hospital water and sanitation infrastructure, installing water points in surrounding communities, and
training youth associations to operate and maintain them. In Senegal, we undertook a Water and Development Alliance (WADA) project to
enhance access to water and sanitation for approximately 22,500 people in poor, rural, and remote communities. Likewise, our new
WADA project in Tanzania will provide water, sanitation, and hygiene services to almost 17,000 people living in ecologically sensitive
areas. These projects represent just a few of the ways we are transforming lives in countries around the world through access to safe
drinking water and sanitation. For information about our other water access projects, please see Appendices A and B.
Accessing Water for Productive economic Use
Increasingly, farmers who depend on regular rainfall to irrigate garden plots or crops struggle to feed their families or generate income in
the face of flooding and drought, erosion, and reduced soil nutrients. Through approximately 25 projects aimed at boosting livelihoods and
fostering long-term economic lift, we are helping to provide water for use in agriculture and other water-dependent economic activities,
while building resilience to climate change. In Guangxi, China, we are promoting sustainable agriculture and irrigation to enhance water
use efficiency in sugarcane cultivation, while making additional water available for human consumption. In Morocco, a new program to
reforest oases and install efficient irrigation will combat desertification, improve date palm yield, and increase income for 900 farmers
and their families. And in Turkey, we have piloted community-based, integrated water resources management approaches that enhance
adaptation to climate change and protect livelihoods.
3 The WASH Advocacy Initiative: washinitiative.org