Financial Times selects WaterAid for the FT 2008 Reader Seasonal Appeal

London/New York, 24 September 2008

The Financial Times, the world's leading provider of business news and analysis in print and on-line, has selected WaterAid for the 2008 FT Seasonal Appeal. WaterAid is an international charity with a vision of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation.

The seasonal appeal will include a series of articles from November through to mid-January highlighting WaterAid's work. The articles will feature WaterAid's initiatives in some of the poorest countries in Asia and Africa, enabling people to gain access to vital water, sanitation and hygiene education. It is hoped this special series will encourage readers to donate to WaterAid and greatly increase awareness of the importance of water and sanitation worldwide. Previous appeals have raised over £2.2 million ($3.7 million) for other charities.

Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times said: "This year's FT Seasonal Appeal charity has for the first time been selected by FT staff from around the globe. We are delighted to be supporting WaterAid and we hope this campaign will help place water and sanitation issues further up the global agenda."

Announcing the partnership with the Financial Times at the United Nations High Level Event in New York, Barbara Frost, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said: "Today I will be addressing world leaders; calling on them to prioritise water and sanitation and recognise their essential role in reducing poverty. By choosing WaterAid for this year's seasonal appeal the Financial Times' staff have given recognition to the importance of our work. We hope to raise money to support WaterAid's projects around the world while also raising awareness for how important these essential services are. We are honoured and extremely excited about this opportunity to work with the Financial Times' staff and readers."

Founded in 1981, WaterAid has always focussed on water, sanitation and hygiene education. The charity currently works in rural and urban areas in 17 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Region, with fundraising and policy offices in London, New York and Melbourne.

In the past 27 years WaterAid has reached over 11 million people, always seeking to work with the most marginalised and poorest communities; those who are most in need of these basic necessities. WaterAid and its 900 partners work with local communities using low-cost technologies to provide lasting practical and sustainable solutions.

Read more about why the FT selected WaterAid for their 2008 Seasonal Appeal here (opens in a new window)

More information on the Financial Times Seasonal Appeal and WaterAid can be found at www.ft.com/wateraid (opens in a new window)