New Partnership to Address Urgent Need for Safe Water in Schools and Educate US and Canadian School Children

CINCINNATI, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Africare, H2O for Life and the Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (Wasrag) announce a new partnership to address the urgent need for safe water, effective sanitation, and hygiene education in schools in developing countries while connecting school children in the developing world to US and Canadian school children. The collaboration will initially bring 19 million liters of clean water and sanitation services to 30 schools in Malawi and Tanzania.

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UNICEF estimates that more than half of the schools in developing countries do not have safe water and also lack proper sanitation and hygiene education programs. This partnership will raise awareness of the global water crisis and funds for the program through H2O for Life's efforts in schools throughout the US and Canada. Wasrag will raise funds and awareness through nearly 34,000 Rotary Clubs.   Africare will implement the program in schools without clean water, hygiene, and adequate sanitation initially in Malawi and Tanzania and also provide clean water to the communities surrounding the schools.  Through the P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, P&G will provide PUR Purifier of Water packets, a simple water purification product shown to be effective in reducing diarrheal illness which often results in school absenteeism in the developing world.  P&G will also raise awareness and funds through P&G BrandSAVER, a coupon booklet in local newspapers on June 5, that will donate 1 day of clean water for every coupon that is redeemed (P&G will donate $0.02 to the CSDW Fund for every coupon).  

"Educating children about the importance of safe water, effective sanitation and hygiene practices in both the developing and developed world is an investment in our collective future, a way to help make the world more connected, and helps each of us fulfill our purpose to improve lives," said Greg Allgood, director of the P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program.  "Innovative partnerships like this one with P&G, H2O for Life, Africare, and Wasrag help make each of us more effective than we are alone.  Given the fact that more children die from illness and disease related to unsafe drinking water than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, the world needs our best efforts."

This collaboration is built on a commitment to strategies and activities based upon solid scientific standards, and common vision of improving the lives of people in the developing world, through the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene education.

About the Partners:

Africare, (africare.org) is a leader among private, charitable U.S. organizations assisting Africa, Africare is also the oldest and largest African-American led organization in the field — and Africa is Africare's specialty. Africare now reaches families and communities in some 25 countries in every major region of Sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to South Africa and from Chad to Mozambique. Since its founding in 1970, Africare has delivered nearly $1 billion in assistance — over 2,500 projects — to 36 African countries.

H2O for Life (h2oforlifeschools.org) is a Minnesota-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization.  H2O for Life provides a service learning project to educate students in the U.S. and other developed nations about the need for safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and health and hygiene education for schools in developing nations.  As a part of the "service" in service learning, H2O for Life encourages students of all grades, preschool through university, to raise funds to provide water, sanitation and hygiene education (WASH) for a partner schools in developing nations.  H2O for Life implements programs in partnership with NGOs that have presence in developing nations where the schools needing service are located. For more information on how to sign a school up to participate in a transformational service learning project, visit the H2O for Life web site.

P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW)

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands.  The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide.  In these countries and beyond, P&G is committed to improving lives for children in need, ages 0-13, through its global corporate cause, Live, Learn and Thrive and its Children's Safe Drinking Water Program.  The P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water Program uses PUR packets to help prevent water-related diseases by providing clean drinking water to children in developing countries.  For more information about PUR™ water purification packets and to see how it works, visit www.csdw.org.  Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G, its brands, and Live, Learn and Thrive.

Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (StartwithWater.org) is a non-profit organization of Rotarians, registered in the USA, and recognized by Rotary International.  It operates in accordance with Rotary International policy, but is not an agency of, nor controlled by, Rotary International. Through its program Start with Water, Wasrag brings education, training and resources, project planning, monitoring & evaluation, and model practices to the nearly 34,000 Rotary clubs and 1.25 million Rotarians. Rotary Clubs are located in almost 200 countries and geographic areas around the world.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble