DALLAS, Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two billion people
around the world lack access to basic sanitation. Without proper
facilities, women must wait all day for the cover of darkness for
privacy and safety just to relieve themselves, children can succumb
to life-threatening, sanitation-borne diseases, and millions of
girls miss school because menstruation becomes too hard to
manage.
Five years ago, Kimberly-Clark took action to improve
sanitation and engage consumers in the sanitation crisis through
the launch of a program named "Toilets Change Lives," which united
the company's global brands through nonprofit partnerships,
consumer education and on-the-ground sanitation work. Toilets
Change Lives has touched 16 countries and impacted 1.5 million
people in need.
"The global sanitation crisis stands in the way of health,
safety and dignity for billions of people," said Rishi Dhingra, Vice President of Family Care for
Kimberly-Clark. "We know that providing access to toilets or
hygiene education can change the future of entire communities and,
as we celebrate five years, we do so with our eyes to the future.
There is much work yet to be done."
Toilets Change Lives launched with the company's
Andrex brand in 2014, growing into a large-scale
multi-national commercial program incorporated by other
Kimberly-Clark family brands around the world, including Neve,
Scott, Suave and Baby Soft.
This year, Toilets Change Lives provided resources in
Bangladesh, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Peru, Honduras, Guatemala and South
Africa to bring sanitation services, access to clean
drinking water, and hygiene education in partnership with its
customers and NGOs, including Water For People and
WaterAid.
Employees like Ramzy Elftesi, Senior Brand Manager for Andrex
and Toilets Change Lives campaign leader, have been critical links
to creating consumer breakthrough and education around the global
sanitation crisis.
"Consumers want to be involved, they just need the opportunity,"
said Elftesi. "Being able to dedicate my time to a campaign that is
positively changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in
Bangladesh, whilst also delivering
strong results for Andrex has been a fantastic experience."
Andrex and WaterAid partnered to tell the story of Sanjida, a
young girl from Bangladesh,
through an animated short film showing how her life has been
positively impacted by gaining access to safe, clean toilets which
have been built in her community. Each animated frame was
hand-painted on more than 600 rolls of Andrex toilet tissue to
illustrate how consumers can 'change the story with every
roll'.
Kimberly-Clark co-founded the Toilet Board Coalition in
2015. The organization is composed of public companies, government
and advocacy groups to fund, support and foster local entrepreneurs
around the world who are addressing sanitation in a
sustainable way.
This week, a delegation of Kimberly-Clark leaders will join
hundreds of sanitation leaders in Pune,
India to discuss investment, innovation and the integration
of menstrual hygiene management into the larger sanitation
vision.
"What some people see as unaffordable public cost, the Toilet
Board Coalition sees an untapped business opportunity," said
Dhingra. "As we look to the future, this is the mindset and
framework we need to find a sustainable way to solve world's
sanitation crisis and ensure no one is left behind."
The United Nations General Assembly officially designated World
Toilet Day in 2013 to raise awareness and inspire efforts to
tackle the global sanitation crisis. A lack of basic sanitation
affects an estimated 2 billion people around the world, making
'access to water and sanitation for all' an important platform for
the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE:KMB) and its trusted brands are an
indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries.
Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's
most essential needs, we create products that help individuals
experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of
brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle,
Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve,
Plenitud, Viva and WypAll, hold the No. 1 or No. 2 share position
in 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a
healthy planet, build stronger communities, and ensure our business
thrives for decades to come. To keep up with the latest news and to
learn more about the company's 147-year history of innovation,
visit kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook or
Twitter.
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SOURCE Kimberly-Clark