Water Aid will reach 1.1 million people with safe water and 1.9 million with sanitation over five years. Photo: WaterAid/Andrew EsieboA group of six HSBC Malta volunteers will soon be visiting projects in Ghana, where Water Aid, as part of the HSBC Water Programme, is working to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
As an international NGO, Water Aid works with some of the poorest communities around the world to provide long-term water and sanitation solutions.
During the week-long visit, scheduled for this month, the HSBC team will travel to districts in the northern and upper eastern regions of Ghana. Members will be visiting established Water Aid projects to see the difference safe water, sanitation and hygiene have made to individuals, communities and local economies.
As part of its work, Water Aid aims to reach 120,000 people with safe water and 80,000 people with sanitation in Ghana.
HSBC Malta CEO Mark Watkinson said: “The HSBC team will experience the very significant difference Water Aid is bringing to Ghana. Employee involvement is an important element of HSBC’s sustainability initiatives as it allows our people to participate and see the outcome of their own work.”
Claire Pearson, HSBC Water Programme manager at WaterAid, said: “The support to Water Aid from HSBC Malta has been extraordinary. They are the first HSBC country to commit to raising funds for a new project for the HSBC Water Programme, planned for 2014.
“They are also a pioneer of the first WaterAid Volunteer Speaker Network outside of the UK. It’s incredibly exciting to work with such an enthusiastic team and they are really setting the standard for others to hopefully follow.
“What the group of representatives learn and experience in Ghana will inform and enrich the talks they give as Water Aid speakers to their colleagues, community groups, schools and businesses on their return. We’re really looking forward to showing the group what an incredible difference the programme is making to the lives of people in Ghana.”
The group of HSBC representatives will be led by Stephen Pandolfino, HSBC Malta’s deputy chief risk officer, and will include HSBC Malta’s Edward Cachia, Graziella Grech Borg, Paul Curmi, Raymond Cassar and Samantha Hollyoak.
With the support of the HSBC Water Programme, WaterAid will reach 1.1 million people with safe water and provide better sanitation for 1.9 million people aged over five in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Ghana and Nigeria.
The HSBC Water Programme is a five-year, $100 million (€75m) programme, in partnership with widely respected NGOs – WWF, Water Aid and Earthwatch, delivering a powerful combination of water provision, protection and education; resulting in the most ground-breaking water programme committed to by a financial organisation.
Meanwhile, the HSBC Water Programme has invested €500,000 in the local Catch the Drop campaign, a three-year initiative to raise awareness about water conservation and stimulate positive change towards sustainable fresh water use in Malta and Gozo.
The campaign aims to reach over 50,000 students coming from 155 schools, 67 local councils, as well as the Maltese public at large.
More information is available via the HSBC Water Programme website at www.thewaterhub.org.
In addition, one can e-mail speakers@wateraid.org to request a Water Aid speaker for a free talk for your community group, school or business.