Kimberly-Clark Continues Support of Water For People for World Toilet Day
$1.5M Donation Will Bring Sanitation Resources to Those in Need
DENVER, November 16, 2021 /3BL Media/ - With nearly half the world’s population lacking safely managed sanitation and nearly 500 million still defecating in the open[1], hygiene product manufacturer Kimberly-Clark is donating $1.5 million to global nonprofit, Water For People, to support the organization’s WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) programs. Because of these efforts, by the end of 2022, 400,000 people in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Peru will gain access to toilets and other sanitation resources, along with training to improve hygiene habits like handwashing.
The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 19 as World Toilet Day to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis. Having a toilet and safely managed sanitation services improve community health by eliminating preventable waterborne diseases like cholera and diarrhea. Household toilets also improve safety, since it can be dangerous to find a place to go outside, especially at night, and especially for women and girls.
“World Toilet Day is a great day to recognize Kimberly-Clark for its commitment to ensuring communities across Latin America have better access to safe toilets,” said Water For People CEO Eleanor Allen. “The company has long been committed to solving this problem in partnership with Water For People. We are thrilled Kimberly-Clark is nearly tripling its investment over the next two years to impact 400,000 people with resources and training, including improved access to toilets.”
Over the next two years, Water For People will construct and rehabilitate water systems, establish supply chains to ensure bathroom products like toilets and sinks are both affordable and available, coordinate with municipalities to promote safely managed waste, and provide communities health and hygiene training. The program will also result in the construction of bathroom facilities at 48 schools and six health clinics across the five program countries. The investment in schools is a particularly effective intervention because, when schools lack bathroom facilities, girls often miss school while they are menstruating, with many dropping out altogether.
“The global sanitation crisis stands in the way of health, safety, and dignity for billions of people,” said Jenny Lewis, Vice President of the Kimberly-Clark Foundation. “By partnering with organizations like Water For People, we can leverage combined resources to make a real impact. Their work provides access to toilets and hygiene education which can change the future of entire communities for the better.”
Water For People is committed to helping solve the global water and sanitation crisis, which has been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 2 billion people lack safely managed water services, and 2.3 billion people lack access to basic handwashing facilities at home.[2] Water For People works in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, India, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda with the goal of ensuring water, sanitation, and hygiene services reach every family, school, and clinic, and that the services are sustainable.
MEDIA INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY
WHO: Water For People’s CEO Eleanor Allen (TEDx Talk)
WHAT: An opportunity to introduce World Toilet Day and highlight the fact that half the people on the planet don’t have a safe toilet. Interview the CEO of a leading global nonprofit and learn about the work it is doing alongside its partner, toilet-paper and hygiene products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark, to change this shocking statistic.
WHEN: Friday, November 19 (World Toilet Day)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: We can provide B-roll of toilets from around world, as well as photos, with credit to Water For People.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jody Carman, Director of Marketing & Communications, jcarman@waterforpeople.org
About Water For People:
Founded in 1991 in Denver, Colorado, Water For People is a global nonprofit working across nine countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to achieve lasting access to clean water and sanitation services. Water For People brings together communities, local entrepreneurs, and governments to build, operate, and maintain their own systems so that every family, health clinic, and school has access to safe water and sanitation that will last for generations to come. We call this impact model Everyone Forever. Learn more at www.waterforpeople.org.
Contact:
Jody Carman
Water For People
jcarman@waterforpeople.org
[1] (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, 2021)
[2] Ibid.
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