Xylem and Waterboys seek to raise awareness about domestic water issues, including that 1.5 million people in the US lack access to clean, safe drinking water at home. It is an issue that is particularly acute for lower-income communities in rural areas. Working with Xylem's corporate social responsibility programme - Watermark, and activated by the company's Goulds Water Technology brand, the partnership will deliver a series of water well projects to provide rural communities with reliable, safe water access, which can lead to better overall health and improved quality of life.
"Access to high-quality drinking water is something the majority of Americans take for granted," said Susan O'Grady, Xylem director of marketing, residential and agriculture. "With so many of our neighbours living without this essential resource, the water sector has an opportunity to help. By combining the unique capabilities of our Watermark programme, our industry knowledge, and leading Goulds Water Technology products with the Waterboys' base of dedicated volunteers and partners, we can bring water to communities that need it, and awareness to this important national issue."
The partnership with Waterboys directs Xylem Watermark's community of stakeholders, employee volunteers and product donations toward an important cause, and sets Goulds Water Technology to work for communities in need.
Established in 2015, Waterboys is the signature initiative of The Chris Long Foundation, dedicated to raising funds and awareness to provide clean water to one-million people. With an initial focus in East Africa, the US programme will expand Waterboys' existing efforts under a programme called "Hometown H2o".
"It's always been a passion of mine to connect our work abroad with our work domestically," said Chris Long, founder and chairman of The Chris Long Foundation. "This partnership with Xylem will allow us to take on our most important fight yet - growing our domestic presence and serving people in our own communities."
The Hometown H2o programme will work with the Water System Council's Water Well Trust to fund and drill water wells for low-income households that do not have access to water at home or within a reasonable distance. By raising funds to build individual wells and small, shared wells, Hometown H2o will be able to provide safe drinking water to American homes in need in one of the most cost-effective ways.
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