The Co-op Group has celebrated the 10th anniversary of its partnership with the One Foundation, which works in developing countries to give people access to safe, clean water.
The Group donates 3p for every litre of its Fairbourne Springs water sold to fund projects in Africa. The only charitable partnership of an own-label water in the UK, it has improved water supply to over 1.5 million people
To mark the anniversary, the Group is extending the donation to include its own-brand flavoured waters, adding an extra 30% to its donations.
“This extra 30% will make a huge difference, because we’ve already helped change the lives of over 1.5 million people,” said the Group. “Of the £10m distributed by the One Foundation to date, £7m came from sales of our Fairbourne Springs water.
“Our support for the One Foundation improves the lives of communities in so many ways – children can go to school because they don’t have to spend their day collecting water; farmers can grow crops and earn a living; and communities are safe from water-borne diseases.
“And because it’s Co-op branded, every bottle you buy also gives 1% back to a local cause of your choice, and 5% for yourself too.”
The short film from the Group showcases an example of the One Foundation’s work in Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries.
In the film, villagers told how their old borehole stopped working and they were forced to collect water from open water. Some had been made ill, and there was also danger from crocodile attacks.
To help tackle the problem, the Group invested £1.4m to drill new boreholes, train local people to maintain the wells, and set up an online database of how the boreholes were working and when they were last maintained.
“It goes without saying that water is an absolute fundamental, said Cathryn Higgs, food policy manager at the Group. “You can’t drink, you can’t wash your clothes, you can’t grow crops.”
The partnership has also supported projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia.
