TORONTO, Sept. 7, 2016 /CNW/ - Every day, women and children in developing communities around the world spend 200 million hours fetching water for their families and communities; water that often comes from sources rife with contaminants. To raise awareness about global water issues, on September 7th Brita® Canada and WE teamed up with students at Branksome Hall in Toronto. The group came together to walk over 10 kilometers, a quarter of the distance many girls and women in developing communities walk everyday to collect jerry cans of water, weighing up to 40 lbs.
The water walk event kicks-off Brita® Canada's Filter for Good™ campaign and partnership with WE, a movement that gives people the tools to change the world locally and globally. The campaign and partnership supports a sustainable development project overseas in Irkaat, Kenya, helping to provide the community of more than 1,800 with access to clean water.
"I'm hoping this will make people stop and think about the impact their everyday choices or habits can have." says Sarah Au, Marketing Manager Brita® Canada. "It was really eye opening for us because we struggled walking 10km as a collective group, which is a quarter of the average distance many women and children travel every day in Irkaat Kenya just to get access to water, which is often contaminated, It's something many of us take for granted."
The partnership launch event also featured an unveiling of an art installation by interdisciplinary Canadian artist Serge Belo. Born and raised in Quebec, Belo uses his unique and ethereal style to highlight both global water challenges and Canadians' annual water consumption with his one-of-a-kind piece.
"Women and children in many developing communities walk for hours each day to access water. In an effort to put this reality into perspective, I was inspired by the silhouette of an African woman's face and incorporated this into an emerging raindrop. I chose to build this piece with 600 rain barrels because it equals the annual water use of the average Canadian." Says Belo.
In addition to raising awareness surrounding global water issues, the water walk event also celebrated Brita® Canada's Filter for Good™ initiative with ME to WE social enterprise. This September, three specially-marked Brita® products will be available across Canada. Every purchase of a ME to WE Brita® product will provide a year's supply of clean water to a person in Irkaat, Kenya through Brita®'s support of a borehole. A borehole provides the community with close access to water, decreasing the 40 kilometers many women and young girls in Irkaat walk every day to collect water for their families.
"Clean water is a basic human right, and if we can eliminate the time young girls in Irkaat spend every day on water walks, then we can increase their opportunity to attend school and build a stronger future," says Marc Kielburger, co-founder WE. "We are proud to partner with Brita and work together to provide people in this community with safe and clean water. Not only are we ensuring the better health of these families, but we are also helping to invest in the future of their children."
Access to clean water means girls spend less time collecting water, allowing them to attend school and secure a better future. "The program goes beyond simply providing clean water. It is a foundation that provides the opportunity for an entire community to thrive. These girls are the future pillars of the community and Brita® Canada is proud to play a role in giving them a chance to spend that time in the classroom," adds Au.
While not every Canadian can participate in the Water Walk to raise awareness, every Canadian can play a part. As of September, three specially-marked Brita® ME to WE products will be available across Canada. Each purchase of one of these products will provide a year's supply of clean water to a person in Irkaat. As part of WE's transparent giving model, all specially marked products come with a Track Your Impact code for buyers to track exactly where and how their purchase has made an impact – consumers can go online and enter their unique code, connecting the dots from the Brita® product they bought directly to the community it helped empower.
"We want Canadians to see that simple choices can have a meaningful impact at home and overseas. Brita® is proving that better water can make a better world," says Au.
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About Brita® Canada
Brita® Canada water-filtration products are marketed by The Clorox Company of Canada. The brand makes filtering pitchers, bottles and dispensers that let people get great-tasting water from any tap. Brita's filters reduce Mercury, Copper, Cadmium, Zinc and Chlorine taste & odour. The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with about 7,700 employees worldwide. www.brita.ca
About WE
WE is a movement that brings people together and gives them the tools to change the world. A unique family of organizations, WE is made up of two divisions: WE Charity and ME to WE. WE Charity is the charitable division that empowers change with resources that create sustainable impact through the charity's domestic programming like WE Schools and internationally through the sustainable development model, WE Villages. ME to WE is a social enterprise that creates socially conscious products and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. Join the WE movement today at www.we.org.
SOURCE Brita® Canada
Video with caption: "Video: At the launch of Brita’s partnership with WE, artist Belo interprets the lack of access to clean water many women and children in developing communities experience. Belo’s art on Branksome Hall’s athletic field brings this reality into perspective with 600 rain barrels, the amount of water used by a Canadian annually.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160907_C6091_VIDEO_EN_768164.mp4&posterurl=http%3A%2F%2Fphotos.newswire.ca%2Fimages%2F20160907_C6091_PHOTO_EN_768164.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160907&cnum=C6091
Image with caption: "At the launch of Brita’s partnership with WE, artist Belo interprets the lack of access to clean water many women and children in developing communities experience. Belo’s art on Branksome Hall’s athletic field brings this reality into perspective with 600 rain barrels, the amount of water used by a Canadian annually. (CNW Group/Brita® Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160907_C6091_PHOTO_EN_768162.jpg
please contact: Katherine Hamilton, Devon Consulting - [email protected]; Adrienne Fraser, Devon Consulting - [email protected]; Alexis Muscat, Devon Consulting - [email protected]
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