Words by Smiley Team
The charity WaterAid is celebrating a renewal of their successful partnership with the Heineken Africa Foundation after working together to bring clean water and good hygiene to 30 million people across Africa.
People in Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, and Mozambique are now better able to protect themselves from the spread of infectious diseases like coronavirus thanks to the provision of clean water and handwashing stations for the most vulnerable communities.
Last year the Foundation, which has been supporting water and health projects since 2007, donated more than £1 million to WaterAid to support its emergency response work to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Foundation has now renewed its commitment to the charity by donating a further £1.4 million and extending its support to WaterAid’s work in Ethiopia.
The partnership aims to provide clean water and handwashing stations for vulnerable communities in countries where Heineken runs its breweries, and to help train community members to maintain facilities, support vaccination roll-out, and promote hygiene messaging through community radio, television, and billboards to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 strains.
Tim Wainwright, WaterAid Chief Executive Officer, said: “Handwashing with soap is a key line of defence in helping prevent the spread of coronavirus, and yet three quarters of people in low-income countries have nowhere to wash their hands at home, putting them at a greater risk of disease.
“Our work is more urgent than ever and we’re so grateful for the continued support of the Heineken Africa Foundation, enabling us to provide handwashing stations and hygiene education to communities in sub-Saharan Africa so they can protect themselves from deadly illnesses.
“Together we’ve helped 30 million people in the fight against the pandemic, and through the partnership can help transform many more lives with the basics of clean water and good hygiene.”
The project will include the provision of clean water in healthcare facilities in Rwanda, and the distribution of hygiene packs among vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
In Mozambique, WaterAid plans to support more than 30 healthcare centres and 20 schools with water, sanitation and hygiene services and will also provide support to the country’s vaccination campaign while promoting good hygiene practices post-vaccinations.
Communities and schools in South Africa will be provided with handwashing stations and facilities, while hygiene products, such as menstrual pads, soap and masks, will be distributed to women and girls and refugee groups.
For more information see the WaterAid website or follow them on Twitter.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
