Children's Safe Drinking Water

Pantene Healthy Hair for Healthy Water Launches in Indonesia and the Philippines

I’m in Western Sumatra, Indonesia to kick-off the Pantene Healthy Hair for Healthy Water campaign that is leveraging the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water to provide clean water to vulnerable communities in Asia.  We’re visiting a program conducted by World Vision to demonstrate to the local media the on-the-ground impact of the CSDW Program.

Providing the 4th Billionth liter of Clean Water with CSDW in Thailand

It’s very hard for me to believe that today we’re providing the 4 billionth liter of clean drinking water through the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program.  It seems like only yesterday that we began this journey.  But in reality, it started 10 years ago.  For three years, P&G provide the water purification packets as a for-profit effort and we provided a total of 30 million liters of clean water.  In 2004, in order to expand the effort, we created the not-for-profit P&G CSDW Program as a signature program of P&G’s pro-social investments and we’ve been growing ever since by partnering with on-the-ground humanitarian groups that can reach people who are most vulnerable and have a critical need for safe water.

Reaching Deep into Filipino Communities with World Vision: An Amazing Experience

I travel to many remote places in helping provide clean water through the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program. Today is one of the most remote visits that I’ve ever made. It took two days to reach the Philippines from my hometown in the US. Then it took a full day of travel from Manila to the island of Siargao in Mindinao. And, this morning, we were up at sunrise to start our travel to the island of Maribojoc. Today, I’m traveling with Keith Kall of World Vision US and Billie Abata, Joy Mariscal, and Joel Pielago of World Vision Philippines.

Start of a New P&G CSDW Program in the Philippines with World Vision

I’m in the Philippines to start a new program to provide clean drinking water as part of a collaboration between the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) Program and World Vision.  We’re working near the largest Filipino island of Mindanao in the region of Surigao.  Some of the areas in Mindanao are not safe for us to travel because of armed conflict.  In fact, we changed our plans in the last few days because of new hostilities.  As an alternative to our original plan, we’ve traveled to the island of Siargao as our base for the next few days.

P&G’s Prestige Beauty Skin Product, SKII, Launches Support of CSDW with Cate Blanchett

P&G’s skin care brand SKII has launched a program to provide support for the Children’s Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program.  An event in Beijing brought together hundreds of stakeholders to celebrate the effort called “Live Clear” reflecting SKII’s purpose to bring crystal clear life to women around the world.

SKII will make an initial donation to provide 30 million liters of clean drinking water through the CSDW program and focus their efforts in Asia where SKII was born and where the most SKII consumers reside.

I think the connection between SKII and our work to provide clean drinking water with the PUR packets is a great fit.  Asian women call SKII “miracle water” because of the impact the skin care product has on their skin.  And, of course, what the PUR packets can do to transform dirty water into crystal clear water is a miracle for people forced to drink contaminated water in the developing world.

Academy award-winning actress and SK-II global ambassador Cate Blanchett was a special guest at the launch and did a PUR demonstration, including drinking the water at the end of the demonstration.  Ms. Blanchett has graciously agreed to allow me to post her PUR demonstration on this blog (LINK).

I’m thankful to Dr Steve Luby of CDC and ICDDR,B for attending the launch event and speaking about the global clean water crisis. 

Thank you SKII for helping us help women and their families in Asia to have clean drinking water.

Closure

The mind-numbing 35 hours of travel from Sri Lanka to the US became even more painful as flu symptoms set-in. Oh well, makes it easier to sleep.

PUR Arrives at Sri Lankan Refugee Camps

I get up at 5 AM to beat the horrendous traffic in the capital city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.  We set off for the 5 hour drive to the south coast and Matara.  It doesn't take long before the sun starts to come up and we can see evidence of the devastation left by the killer waves. 

We Arrive in Sri Lanka

The sachets and I have landed in Sri Lanka!   All 5 million are safely unloaded and going through the next part of their journey, customs clearance in Sri Lanka.

Approval in Pakistan and Off to Sri Lanka

Today the pressure is really on. 

Our partnership with AmeriCares and PSI, and excellent work by our local ER and plant folks, have given us the confidence to book a plane that will be filled to the gunnels with only PUR. 

My Trip to the PUR Plant

Today I'm traveling out to the Hub plant where we make the PUR sachets.   It's located about an hour and a half out of Karachi in the city of Hub, hence the name Hub plant.  Hub is in the Balochistan territory that adjoins Iran and Afghanistan.   The terrain looks like the arid south west of the United States with plateaus and dusty soil.   

I arrive in Pakistan

It took me 30 hours from door to door from Cincinnati to my hotel bed in Karachi, arriving at 4 AM.   The city was quiet and the weather balmy with a nice breeze from the ocean, but I needed sleep badly.   My head hit the pillow just as the muazzin started the call  for prayers.  A nice reminder, but so much for sleep...

Touching Lives

Note from Greg:  From time to time, I'll include guest entries from some of the partners working with us.  Here's the first from Jeff Albert.  I'll let him introduce himself.

My first journal entry

The folks back in Cincinnati asked me if I'd be willing to keep a journal of my travels in the tsunami-affected areas of southern Asia.  I thought that was a good idea, so we've started this web log so I can share my thoughts and impressions with the rest of the P&G family.