DALLAS, Nov. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Access to
clean water, hygiene and sanitation services remains essential to
protecting human health, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Globally, more than 2 billion people lack access to basic
sanitation, including toilets. The United Nations General Assembly
officially designated Nov. 19 as
World Toilet Day in 2013 to raise awareness and inspire efforts to
bring solutions to these communities.
A study of 130,000 health clinics in low- and middle-income
countries showed that 50 percent of the clinics didn't have piped
water. Additionally, 785 million people do not have clean water
close to home. Without access to safe toilets and clean water,
women often wait for the cover of darkness to have privacy and
safety, children can succumb to life-threatening, waterborne
diseases, and millions of girls miss school because menstruation
becomes too hard to manage.
Kimberly-Clark and the Kimberly-Clark Foundation have
formed partnerships and programs to help address this global health
crisis. In 2014, Kimberly-Clark launched Toilets Change Lives, a
multinational program that supports solutions to the global
sanitation crisis. Through consumer awareness, NGO partnerships and
on-the-ground activations, the company brings toilets, sanitation
education and increased health, safety and dignity to many of the
world's most vulnerable communities. Since the program's
launch seven years ago, the Toilets Change Lives program has
impacted the lives of more than 7 million people across 15
countries.
"The challenges faced over the last few years have put health
and safety at the global forefront while illuminating social and
environmental gaps that still need to be bridged," said
Jenny Lewis, Vice President of the
Kimberly-Clark Foundation. "We're committed to doing our part to
address long-standing social inequities by creating effective
programs and forging strategic partnerships that create lasting
change in communities across the world."
As part of its global ambition and purpose to provide Better
Care for a Better World, Kimberly-Clark is working to improve the
lives and well-being of 1 billion people in vulnerable or
underserved communities around the world by 2030 with the smallest
environmental footprint. Several programs run by the company and
its foundation are combining with other efforts and strategic
partnerships to create positive social outcomes in areas that
support three of the UN's Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG):
- Caring for the health and well-being of people at all stages of
life (SDG 3);
- Challenging stigmas and championing the progress of women
everywhere (SDG 5); and
- Championing a world where all enjoy access to clean water and
sanitation (SDG 6).
Additionally, Kimberly-Clark recognizes that the smallest
environmental footprint is just as essential to helping people live
a better life, and the company is focused on the areas where it can
make the biggest difference – climate, forests, water and
plastics.
MORE THAN JUST A TOILET: ACCESS TO SANITATION IMPACTS
COMMUNITIES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME
Kimberly-Clark, Plan International and Water For People Team
Up to Help Latin America Communities
This year, the Toilets Change Lives program has provided
resources in nine countries in Latin
America – Bolivia,
Peru, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Colombia and El
Salvador. This was done in partnership with Kimberly-Clark's
customers as well as NGOs such as Water For
People and Plan International.
These efforts are part of Water For People's Healthy Nicaragua
Campaign, which reached 450,000 people with messages about how to
prevent the spread of COVID-19. In Peru, the effort was connected to a
government-led water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) roundtable to
support the implementation of a national plan to prevent the spread
of communicable diseases such as COVID-19.
"With billions of people around the world still lacking access
to water, sanitation and hygiene services, Water For People and
Kimberly-Clark are working together and combining resources that
deliver measurable impact," said Eleanor
Allen, CEO of Water For People. "The Toilet Changes Lives
program provides the world's most vulnerable communities with
access to reliable and safe sanitation services."
Plan International Supports Latin America
Communities
Kimberly-Clark continues to look for opportunities to support
the communities and regions where it operates. Recently, in
response to COVID-19 economic hardships and local shutdowns that
limited access to essential items, the Kimberly-Clark Foundation
partnered with Plan International, a development and humanitarian
organization that works in more than 75 countries across the world,
to help children and their families in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador gain access to sustainable sanitation
and hygiene facilities along with education.
In Brazil, Plan International
and Kimberly-Clark built and repaired nine bathrooms, including 17
toilets, providing 1,686 youth with access to new facilities.
Additionally, the two organizations delivered more than 81,000
menstrual health kits to 49,553 women living in Brazil, giving them access to essential
products like sanitary pads, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap. In
Ecuador, the foundation and Plan
International delivered hygiene kits to 465 families, which
included flyers to educate parents and kids on handwashing best
practices.
Additionally, in Colombia, Plan
International built and renovated 17 toilets in three schools, and
462 families received hygiene kits (soap, cleaning materials,
toilet paper, toothpaste, etc.). For the rest of 2021, Plan
International will continue virtual training activities with
children, their families and their teachers in the schools where
the project is implemented.
"Access to safe and clean toilets is essential for girls to
unlock their full potential, especially during COVID-19," said
Shanna Marzilli, Interim President
and CEO of Plan International USA.
"Collaborating with Kimberly-Clark and its Scott® and
Neve® brands has allowed girls and their families to lead
healthier lives, and we are thrilled to have expanded our
partnership to El Salvador this
year."
WaterAid Provides Sanitation Access in African and Asian
Communities
Kimberly-Clark and WaterAid are working together to improve
hygiene behaviors among communities in Lagos, Nigeria. With a goal of benefitting
45,000 people, WaterAid Nigeria is partnering with institutions and
local governments to increase the awareness of safe hygiene
behaviors among pregnant and breastfeeding women, promoting
hygienic practices, setting up handwashing facilities, distributing
hygiene kits in public facilities (such as schools, community
centers and primary healthcare centers) and partnering with
Lagos authorities to accelerate
change by including hygiene behavior change recommendations in
their large-scale hygiene promotional campaigns. As part of this
project, WaterAid plans to construct 25 toilets across five
secondary schools.
In Uganda, WaterAid is
implementing a water, sanitation and hygiene project in the
developing city of Mbale to ensure that 111,300 residents across
six urban settlements have access to safe and reliable water,
toilets and hygiene facilities.
Transforming Public Sanitation Services in Bangladesh
Kimberly-Clark and its Andrex® brand have partnered since
2017 with WaterAid on an initiative to transform public sanitation
services through the construction and management of inclusive
public toilets across three cities in Bangladesh. In 2021, Kimberly-Clark renewed
its commitment to supporting WaterAid's programs by investing in
work that will increase access to public toilets in three new
cities, providing 8.7 million uses of decent toilets and access to
clean water.
The nine public toilet blocks in this program have generated
over 1.6 million uses since 2017, well above the projected 700,000
uses.
Additionally, WaterAid coordinated training for 26 local women
across three cities in Bangladesh
to oversee the operation and maintenance of public toilets and
ensure high standards of cleanliness. These female employees
increase the confidence of other women and encourage them to use
the toilets, challenging the perception that public toilets are
unpleasant, unsafe and unhygienic.
Watch the story of Sanjida and her family in Bangladesh, and learn more about the impact
that toilets provide for communities around the globe.
KIMBERLY-CLARK AND TOILET BOARD COALITION COMPLETE
FEMALE-FOCUSED INNOVATION LAB PILOT
To help address some of the world's biggest sanitation issues,
Kimberly-Clark, its foundation and the company's Kotex®
brand partnered with the Toilet Board Coalition, which the
company helped found in 2015, to create the Women in the Sanitation
Economy Innovation Lab. The lab aims to develop and catalyze
women-led, early-stage businesses within the sanitation economy.
The Innovation Lab recently completed its first pilot, which
included five startup businesses from Kenya, the U.S. and the U.K., along with 11
Kimberly-Clark employees who served as mentors to the group.
The participating businesses received mentorship and training to
help them address some of their biggest business challenges and
positively contribute to some of the world's most pressing
sanitation issues. Participants reported that the Innovation Lab
improved their business operations and internal processes.
"We are proud to have Kimberly-Clark's Kotex® brand
providing strategic support and mentorship to the Women in the
Sanitation Economy Innovation Lab initiative," said Greg Davies, CEO at the Toilet Board Coalition.
"The program is designed to incubate innovations and business
models from around the word to meet consumer demand, close the gaps
on hygiene – including women's health – and promote the empowerment
of women by supporting business solutions led by women."
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, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2
share positions in approximately 80 countries. We use sustainable
practices that support a healthy planet, build strong 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 nearly
150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.
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