WaterAid and Coca-Cola Bangladesh launched Climate Resilient sanitation facilities in schools
WaterAid Bangladesh and Coca-Cola Bangladesh on 24 April 2017 launched a project to build climate resilient sanitation facilities in secondary schools of Shyamnagar under Satkhira district in the Southwest region of Bangladesh. The project aims to raise awareness in the community about water, sanitation and hygiene and will directly impact 18,000 school students and 5,000 people living in the school vicinities.
The first phase of the project will be 12 months which will potentially transform these communities in the two coastal upazillas by building sustainable and resilient sanitation complexes in 60 secondary schools, raising awareness on water safety, handwashing, menstrual hygiene, environment, climate change and disaster risk reduction, as well as developing the knowledge, capacity and ultimately the resilience of local stakeholders. These schools will also serve as temporary shelters during disasters with functional sanitation facilities, and recharge about 440 m3 of water each year, based on the region’s average rainfall.
The project will touch lives in some of the most remote and challenging parts of the country where people are still recovering from the after effects of natural calamities such as cyclone. Rising salinity, more frequent natural disasters and growing water scarcity are impacting the health, education and livelihood of these communities, particularly women and girls.
“We are happy to partner with Coca-Cola who have taken this initiative to step forward and do their part for the struggling areas in our coastal belt, particularly their efforts towards supporting the girl students. This project will enable girl students to attend classes more regularly by providing them with not just comfort, but dignity and privacy through proper sanitation facilities,” said Md Khairul Islam, Country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh. “I would urge other organizations to consider such areas of work when they are thinking of ways to give back to the community, and I hope in time we will see a growing momentum and movement in the private sector for water, sanitation and hygiene for everyone, everywhere, always.”
Shadab Khan, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Bangladesh commented, “Water is fundamental to all communities and business. This creates a business imperative that complements our ethical drive— working to ensure the sustainability of local water sources everywhere we operate. The Coca-Cola Company is committed to be a collaborative partner and responsible steward of this precious resource. In Bangladesh, we have had several successful partnerships with NGOs and local communities across the country that has delivered sterling examples of water conservation projects benefitting the local community. This partnership with WaterAid reaffirms our pledge in contributing towards sustainable communities.
