Lahore: P&G, the maker of global products such as Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Ariel and Pampers, joined in announcing its collaboration with METRO Cash & Carry and Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE) for the provision of clean drinking water to communities affected by natural disasters in Pakistan.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of METRO’s Cash & Carry operations, the organization is partnering with the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program to provide clean drinking water to Pakistani communities affected by natural disasters, including the recent Tharparkar catastrophe. Through this joint effort, 24 million liters of clean drinking water will be made available through the P&G Purifier of Water packets. This is enough to provide 400,000 people enough water for a month. HOPE, P&G’s long-term NGO partner will distribute the P&G Purifier of Water packets to people affected by the recent Tharpakar crisis with a provision for potential floods in the monsoon season that is a few weeks away.
On this occasion, Mr. Faisal Sabzwari, Country Manager P&G Pakistan, said: “Clean drinking water is a problem for more than a billion people around the globe. Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water is a leading cause of illness and death amongst infants and children in the developing world including Pakistan. The simple act of providing clean, purified, drinkable water can help reduce the risk of disease and death by about 50%. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our partner METRO Cash & Carry on its 50th anniversary celebration. In recognition of this, we are immensely pleased to offer METRO Cash & Carry cooperation on our Children Safe Drinking Water Program here in Pakistan.Through this program we have made available nearly 800 million liters of clean drinking water to Pakistani communities in need, with support from our partners since 2005.”Sharing his thoughts, Mr. Bouzeneth Benaouda, Managing Director METRO Cash & Carry Pakistan, said: “METRO is proud to be associated with P&G and its Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program. Whether we help planting trees in Poland, collect used garments in Belgium or donate blood in Portugal – METRO Cash & Carry employees in all countries are actively involved in activities to promote social and ecological projects under our global CSR program Care & Share which was launched back in 2008.
2014 marks the start of our anniversary year which will be all about 50 years celebrations of METRO Cash & Carry. This big birthday is an occasion where we would like to remember those who are in need of our support. Under the umbrella of Care & Share, our purpose is to improve people's lives, create awareness about global clean water crisis and motivate people to help provide those in need with clean drinking water. For a developing country like Pakistan it is yet another demonstration of commitment. We are proud to be partnering with P&G in this project as a part of our Care & Share program where we can help bring clean drinking water to children and families in the developing world. Also present on this occasion, Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla, Chairperson HOPE, said: “The P&G-METRO collaboration with HOPE for disaster relief response for the current crisis in Tharpakar as well as potential flood in the upcoming monsoon season will set an example for future collaborations in the corporate sector. HOPE is committed to facilitate P&G and METRO in its endeavor to help disaster-affected communities in Pakistan and looks forward to more collaborative projects in the future.”More than 1,600 children die every day from diseases caused by drinking unsafe water.
These losses are more than those caused by HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. P&G, in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, developed P&G Purifier of Water, a low-cost powder technology in a packet, designed to purify even heavily contaminated drinking water. The purified water meets WHO standards for safe drinking water. Since its inception in 2004, the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program has provided 7 billion liters of clean water to children and families in more than 75 countries. Working with more than 140 partners, it is estimated that this much clean water has helped save more than 40,000 lives and prevented 300 million days of illness. In 2010, at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, P&G committed to deliver enough water to save 1 life every hour by 2020. This requires the Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program to provide 2 billion liters of clean drinking water every year.
