Delivering <strong>Water</strong> for Health <strong>and</strong> Human Prosperity Access to safe water <strong>and</strong> basic sanitation is the foundation of sustainable progress toward health, child survival, gender equity, education, environmental protection, poverty alleviation, <strong>and</strong> human security—all fundamental to economic development. In fact, safe drinking water <strong>and</strong> sanitation are the most effective—<strong>and</strong> among the most efficient—ways to improve health <strong>and</strong> alleviate poverty. Each investment in safe drinking water <strong>and</strong> sanitation provides an 8:1 return by way of reduced healthcare needs <strong>and</strong> time saved, which can be redirected toward positive economic development3 . Since 2005, The Coca-Cola Company <strong>and</strong> our partners have supported more than 90 projects in over 45 countries that provide access to water <strong>and</strong> sanitation or water for productive use. To date, 1.6 million adults <strong>and</strong> 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, <strong>and</strong> farmers can achieve greater crop yields through access to efficient irrigation. Accessing Clean <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> Sanitation In 2011, we continued advancing toward our goal to provide over 2 million people with access to clean water by 2015 through the <strong>Replenish</strong> Africa Initiative (RAIN)—our six-year, $30 million <strong>com</strong>mitment to provide access to safe drinking water for <strong>com</strong>munities throughout the continent. Also as part of RAIN, in 2011 we joined Diageo Plc, <strong>Water</strong>Health International, <strong>and</strong> the International Finance Corporation in launching the Safe <strong>Water</strong> for Africa program. This business-led initiative will bring World Health Organization-quality water to hundreds of <strong>com</strong>munities in West Africa. Long-term operation <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> sanitation services by constructing hospital water <strong>and</strong> sanitation infrastructure, installing water points in surrounding <strong>com</strong>munities, <strong>and</strong> training youth associations to operate <strong>and</strong> maintain them. In Senegal, we undertook a <strong>Water</strong> <strong>and</strong> Development Alliance (WADA) project to enhance access to water <strong>and</strong> sanitation for approximately 22,500 people in poor, rural, <strong>and</strong> remote <strong>com</strong>munities. Likewise, our new WADA project in Tanzania will provide water, sanitation, <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> sanitation. For information about our other water access projects, please see Appendices A <strong>and</strong> B. Accessing <strong>Water</strong> for Productive economic Use Increasingly, farmers who depend on regular rainfall to irrigate garden plots or crops struggle to feed their families or generate in<strong>com</strong>e in the face of flooding <strong>and</strong> drought, erosion, <strong>and</strong> reduced soil nutrients. Through approximately 25 projects aimed at boosting livelihoods <strong>and</strong> fostering long-term economic lift, we are helping to provide water for use in agriculture <strong>and</strong> other water-dependent economic activities, while building resilience to climate change. In Guangxi, China, we are promoting sustainable agriculture <strong>and</strong> 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 <strong>and</strong> install efficient irrigation will <strong>com</strong>bat desertification, improve date palm yield, <strong>and</strong> increase in<strong>com</strong>e for 900 farmers <strong>and</strong> their families. And in Turkey, we have piloted <strong>com</strong>munity-based, integrated water resources management approaches that enhance adaptation to climate change <strong>and</strong> protect livelihoods. 3 The WASH Advocacy Initiative: washinitiative.org
Top: RAIN <strong>Water</strong> for Schools helps to increase school attendance, enhance hygiene behaviors, <strong>and</strong> improve health among children. Bottom: Near Valle de Bravo in Mexico, basic environmental technologies such as washing sinks, rainwater capture systems, <strong>and</strong> backyard vegetable gardens, are improving quality of life for rural <strong>com</strong>munities. The project also helps to conserve the region’s forests <strong>and</strong> watershed. < pg 14 pg 15 >
Change language