TheCable

As part of its corporate social responsibility, Guinness Nigeria Plc has donated borehole facilities to 10 communities in Cross River state.

The organisation, which partnered with Concern Universal, a group known for promoting good sanitation, to execute the project, said one of its intentions is to check the spread of easily preventable, diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera, and typhoid.

Guinness said inadequate access to safe water and sanitation causes the spread of deadly diseases, noting that in Nigeria over 150,000 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea on a yearly basis.

Sesan Sobowale, corporate relations director of the beverage producing company, said the project would lead to improvement in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) of the beneficiaries.

“Guinness Nigeria recognises that millions of people still do not have access to clean and safe water. 1 in 5 people around the world cannot access safe drinking water; and in Nigeria, 63 million people do not have access to clean water,” he said.

“This is why Guinness Nigeria and the Diageo Foundation teamed up with Concern Universal to provide clean water for rural communities in Cross River state. Our partnership leverages our collective strengths to help beneficiary communities improve their water, sanitation, and hygiene, and ultimately, their health.”

On his part, Tim Kellow, Concern Universal’s country director, expressed optimism that the objectives of the project would be realized.

“This approach, which carefully sequences demand-led sanitation and hygiene behaviour change with participatory water management, is creating a model for the WASH sector, in Nigeria and beyond, to ensure that the introduction of water points works in tandem with sanitation and hygiene promotion to prevent killer diseases, such as diarrhea,” he said.

Osita Abana, sustainable development manager of Guinness, said the project so far, the project has had positive impact on members of the communities.

“During my visit to beneficiary communities, I was inspired to see firsthand, the positive impact the Guinness/Concern Universal partnership is already making,” he said.

“Families who used to fetch water from streams now have easy access to clean water. Communities have also adopted proper hygiene habits that will limit the spread of preventable diseases like diarrhea and cholera.”