DALLAS, Nov. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Globally, 1 in
3 people don't have access to a clean and safe toileti.
This Sunday, on World Toilet Day, Kimberly-Clark, makers of global
toilet tissue brands including Cottonelle, Scott, Andrex, Neve,
Hakle and Suave, is encouraging people to pause while they flush
and consider how the lack of basic sanitation facilities profoundly
affects peoples' lives.
Around the globe, one child dies every two minutes from diseases
caused by poor water, sanitation and hygieneii. Millions
of girls miss school every month because they do not have access to
adequate sanitation facilities to manage their periods privately
and with dignityiii. Women and girls often have to wait
until dark to defecate and urinate, often in secluded spots,
exposing them to risk of violence and attackiv.
Kimberly-Clark believes that access to sanitation is an
essential for a better life and that toilets change lives. The
company, which launched its Toilets Change Lives program in 2014 in
the United Kingdom, has now
expanded it to involve more than 15 countries around the world. The
program, delivered in partnership with organizations such as
UNICEF, WaterAid and Water For People, provides funding and
expertise to build, repair and maintain toilet infrastructure,
along with hygiene education and behavior change programming.
"As a global personal care company, Kimberly-Clark brings
decades of experience and expertise in understanding the
interconnected issues associated with hygiene, sanitation and
water," said Rishi Dhingra, vice
president and global sector leader, Family Care. "What we've
learned from undertaking the Toilets Change Lives program is that
no single entity can solve this issue alone; rather it takes, and
will continue to take, true collaboration. What has helped us to
scale-up the Toilets Change Lives program is the involvement of our
consumers, retail partners, NGOs and employees. The plan is to
continue to grow this program and involve more people and partners,
including our suppliers, as we believe everyone deserves the
dignity of a clean and safe toilet."
"To date, the Toilets Change Lives program has directly improved
the lives of 500,000 people with the wider community impact
reaching over 1 million. We are working towards a goal of improving
the lives of 25 million people in need by 2022 through increasing
access to sanitation, helping children thrive and empowering women
and girls," says Lisa Morden, global
head of sustainability for Kimberly-Clark.
Communities in countries like Angola, Bangladesh, India, South
Africa, Brazil,
Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua have already benefited through The
Toilets Change Lives program. Examples of some of the projects
include:
- In the UK, Spain, Switzerland and The
Netherlands, Kimberly-Clark's Andrex, Scottex, Hakle and
Page brands are partnering with UNICEF to affect change in
Angola. Through its Toilets Change
Lives program, Kimberly-Clark is contributing to UNICEF's Water and
Sanitation work in Angola.
Donations to date have helped over 240,000 people in Angola gain access to sanitation, through
efforts to empower communities to build their own clean, safe
toiletsv. By the end of this year, the goal is to help
an additional 45,000 people in Angola. Watch the video
- The Toilets Change Lives program in the UK has recently
expanded to involve WaterAid where work is underway to improve
public sanitation in two urban centers in Bangladesh. The public toilets being built and
renovated will serve over 100,000 people in the first year. Watch
the video
- In India, Kimberly-Clark is
working with the Charities Aid Foundation to repair and maintain
toilets in schools and mobilize children as change agents to bring
hygiene education into their families' homes. To date, the program
has directly benefited over 30,000 school children and teachers
across more than 100 schools, increasing enrollments at some
schools by up to 40 percentvi. Watch the video
- In Latin America,
Kimberly-Clark's Scott and Suave brands are partnering with Water
For People to bring sanitation services, safe drinking water and/or
hygiene education to more than 25,000 people across 32 communities
and 21 schools in Bolivia and
Peru. This year, the partnership has expanded into 3 new
markets – Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Developing Next Generation Sanitation Solutions
Looking to the future, Kimberly-Clark is bringing its innovation
capabilities to help develop commercially sustainable and scalable
solutions to the sanitation crisis. As a founding member of the
Toilet Board Coalition, Kimberly-Clark supports the organization's
"Toilet Accelerator" program. Through the "Toilet Accelerator"
program, Kimberly-Clark employees mentor local entrepreneurs to
develop new technology, programs and business models to convert
waste from a cost to a valuable resource, with the ultimate aim of
creating a self-sustaining sanitation economy.
For example, members of Kimberly-Clark's Corporate Research
& Engineering team have been helping to mentor BioCycle, an
innovative South African business, on the development of a unique
production technology which uses fly larvae to convert waste into
high value products including animal feed and biodiesel.
BioCycle's solution aims to help entrepreneurs around the world to
generate revenue from waste, creating an economic incentive to
develop new sanitation systems in underserved regions.
"Kimberly-Clark helped establish the Toilet Board Coalition in
2014 to accelerate the development of the sanitation economy and
new circular business models that approach waste differently," says
Morden.
For more information about Kimberly-Clark's Social Impact goal
visit Sustainability2022.com or to learn more about the Toilets
Change Lives program visit @ToiletsChangeLives on Facebook.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are
an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175
countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population
trust Kimberly-Clark's brands and the solutions they provide to
enhance their health, hygiene, and well-being. With brands such as
Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark
holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in 80 countries. To keep up
with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 145-year
history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on
Facebook or Twitter.
i World Health Organization -
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs392/en/
ii WaterAid
iii WaterAid: We Can't Wait. A report on sanitation
and hygiene for women and girls
iv WaterAid
v UNICEF
vi According to Charities Aid Foundation
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