Ethos Water, H2O Africa Foundation Join Forces to Address Water Shortages
Ethos Water, H2O Africa Foundation Join Forces to Address Water Shortages
Starbucks, which acquired Ethos Water in 2005, has announced a new collaborative effort with the H20 Africa Foundation to raise awareness and funding for the world water crisis.
For each bottle of Ethos Water sold in the United States and Canada, five cents (ten cents Canadian) will be directed to the Ethos Water Fund, which is part of the Starbucks Foundation. To date, more than $6.2 million in grant commitments have been made through the fund, which will benefit an estimated 439,000 people in water-stressed countries. Ethos Water is expected to contribute $10 million by 2010 to nongovernmental organizations implementing water, sanitation, and hygiene education programs.
Later this month, H20 Africa co-founder and actor Matt Damon will appear in a national print advertising campaign for Ethos Water, encouraging consumers to get involved in solving the water crisis. In addition, Pepsi-Cola, which distributes Ethos Water, pledged $2.5 million grant commitment to H20 Africa in January to help support clean water projects in Niger, Mali, Senegal, and other African countries.
"This is about two organizations, Ethos Water and H20 Africa, coming together to do something positive by creating awareness of the world water crisis," said H20 Africa co-founder Keith Quinn. "[T]he donation by PepsiCo to H20 Africa allows us to implement safe water programs in Africa and improve the lives of many people."
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