Nairobi, Kenya, March 2016 – With a total of 11,033 patients
suspected of cholera by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 22
out of 47 counties in late January, P&G has embarked on an awareness
campaign in a bid to reduce water borne diseases in the country through its Children’s
Safe Drinking Water program.
The
campaign, which marked the 2016 World Water Day, is in partnership with the
Ministry of Health and Population Services Kenya and kicked off with provision
of P&G Purifier of Water sachets that can clean over 200,000 liters of
water to the residents of Dandora coupled with public education on sanitation.
P&G’s
Communications Manager Ms. Irene Mwathi-Miheso said that having clean drinking
water is something many of Kenyans take for granted, but is a daily challenge
for many families who are faced with recurrent droughts, poor management of
water supply and the contamination of the available water.
“At
P&G, we want to use our innovation to make social investments that improves
the general livelihood of people. These small sachets are being used all around
the world to make dirty, unsafe water clean enough to drink with simple tools –
a bucket, a stick, a cloth and a tiny packet” said Ms. Miheso.
Statistics
from the Ministry of Health indicate that over 17.3 million Kenyans lack clean
safe drinking water with more than 50 percent of all hospital visits attributed to the
consumption of unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Ms.
Mwathi added that P&G has invested more than KES 500 million in the
provision of clean safe drinking water and, together with their partners, has
delivered 750 million liters of clean drinking water since the program started
in 2005.
PS
Kenya’s Child Survival Manager Ms. Nancy Njoki said that the issue of
waterborne diseases can only be curbed through partnerships with both private
and public sectors and such interventions are necessary and needed across the
country..
“We
urge the public to maintain strict hand hygiene with frequent and rigorous
washing, and safe food and water precautions to help curb water borne
diseases,” said Ms. Njoki.
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