AXA XL has announced a three-year partnership with international charity WaterAid, to help provide more than 10,000 people in rural India with access to clean water.
As part of the new partnership, the two parties will work to provide communities and schools in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India with year-round access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, according to a statement.
AXA XL will also provide funding to support WaterAid in creating sanitary blocks and healthcare facilities in schools and community centres, a pipeline water supply unit, and rain water harvesting infrastructure. It will also enable community-level training on water testing and basic hydrology, so that communities can manage and sustain the new infrastructure going forward.
According to WaterAid, more than 163 million Indian people are currently without safe drinking water, while almost 732 million do not have access to decent sanitation.
These efforts are part of AXA XL’s broader corporate social responsibility focus on improving water resilience, which NASA has identified as a key environmental challenge for the 21st century.
“AXA XL has a long and established presence in India, with offices in Gurgaon and Bangalore for more than 12 years,” said Derek Nazareth (pictured), head of global operations and country head, AXA XL India. “We have always been committed to supporting our local communities all year round, but now our interest in the country goes beyond these locations, which is why we’re proud to partner with a charity such as WaterAid to bring clean water to some of the country’s most vulnerable people.”
“An estimated 3.6 billion people lived in water-scarce areas in 2016, and that number is expected to increase to around five billion by 2050, while a staggering two billion people currently live without access to basic sanitation,” said Marcus Missen, director of communications and fundraising at WaterAid. “This global crisis requires urgent action as these basics are vital to overcoming global poverty. We’re therefore delighted that AXA XL will be joining us on our journey to achieving a world where everyone, everywhere has access to clean water, improved sanitation and good hygiene.”
