Leading worldwide industrial giant Atlas Copco New Zealand's social giving project, 'Water 4 All, is saving lives in Vanuatu.
Monday 9 March 2020, 10:41AM
By Media PA
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A Unicef-led effort to bring clean water to Vanuatu has made significant progress thanks to “Water 4 All”, a Social Giving project developed and funded by leading industrial equipment and solutions company Atlas Copco New Zealand.
Vanuatu Project aims to bring clean water, toilets and hand washing facilities to every school in Panama, from pre-school to high school. Staying true to their mission, plenty of work has gone into achieving this goal.
Panama was widely ravaged by Cyclone Pam in 2015, and more recently by the Ambae volcano eruption. Most schools had no clean running water, and toilets and hand washing facilities are basic or non-existent. “Giving children access to clean water and sanitation plays a crucial role in keeping them healthy and in school,” says Yuri Reijmer (pictured below), Managing Director at Atlas Copco New Zealand.
Now, thanks to the ‘Water 4 All’ project, all 75 schools in Penama have developed a WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) improvement plan. Each plan includes each school’s requirements, eg. the number of toilets they need.
Twelve toilet blocks have already been completed in schools. “This will give approximately 1500 children in the region safe access to clean water and toilets,” adds Yuri.
A WASH education toolkit has been developed for teachers to share with pupils to encourage hand washing.
The Water 4 All team are currently hard at work planning a hand washing promotion campaign and a local theatre company has been contracted to perform a play on this.
“Competitions plans are also underway in schools to mark World Toilet Day and Global Handwashing Day,” adds Yuri.
The Water 4 All project is run by volunteers within the Atlas Copco group, and is entirely non-profit, with 100% of all donations going to expert non-government organisations and local staff in the project country.
To keep up with the project or make a donation, visit the Atlas Copco “Water 4 All” website https://www.water4all.org/en/how-we-work.
About Atlas Copco:
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Atlas Copco provides efficient and innovative industrial equipment, with over 40, 000 employees and customers in over 180 countries. With a vision of “First in Mind, First in Choice,” Atlas Copco have become internationally renowned for the safety, sustainability and durability of the many different solutions and innovations they provide.
Contact Atlas Copco New Zealand:
Website: https://www.atlascopco.com/en-nz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AtlasCopcoNewZealand
Head office: 8 George Bourke Drive, Mount Wellington, Auckland 1060, New Zealand
Postal Address: Private Bag 92 - 814, Penrose. Auckland 1642, New Zealand
Email: info.nz@nz.atlascopco.com
Phone: 0800 354 555
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