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We are proud to announce that Basic Water Needs is the youngest member of the UNDP’s Business Call to Action initiative (BCtA). The Business Call to Action is challenging companies to advance core business activities that are inclusive of poor populations and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals.BWN is now part of a group of 110 companies, from SMEs to multinationals, who have responded to the BCtA. All companies have committed themselves to improve the lives and livelihoods of millions through commercially-viable business ventures that engage low-income people as consumers, producers, suppliers, and distributors of goods and services.
For BWN, the specific commitment was to give access to our Table Top water filters to over 540,000 people in Malawi, by 2018. This will allow people to drink safe drinking water every day. We will do this together with our local partners Safi Water Treatment Solutions and ARKAY Plastics Industry Ltd, by establishing a new assembly plant for our water filters in Blantyre, Malawi’s second largest city, which will provide full-time employment to ten women. (for more information on the initiative, click here).
The importance of the initiative is highlighted by Suba Sivakumaran, the BCtA Programme Manager. “Every year, 2 million people from low-income families – mostly children – die from preventable waterborne illnesses, so there is a great need for safe, reliable drinking water in both rural and urban communities. Inclusive businesses like Basic Water Needs exemplify the ability to meet a critical development need with a viable business model that also builds markets and drives innovation.”
Basic Water Needs’ membership will be officially announced during the annual forum in New York on the 24th of September. We will be present here with a stand, showcasing our solutions and initiative in Malawi. So come and find us at the BCtA Expo, 24th of September in New York.
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