Many parts of the Philippines during the first half of the year suffered from drought and water shortage.

In response, Procter & Gamble (P&G) has partnered with advocacy organization World Vision Philippines to help alleviate the crisis by donating water and P&G’s water-saving products to their chosen El Niño-stricken communities.

P&G’s Downy is donating 150 trucks of water to 7,500 families in 30 communities in Sorsogon, Palawan, Cebu and Bohol, the four World Vision Area Development Programs (ADPs) with communities that are among the hardest hit by the current dry spell. The 150 trucks will carry 750,000 liters of water to the communities. The water donation is part of P&G Philippines’ Kabisig sa Tubig, a program that celebrates P&G's 75th anniversary this year by giving back to at least 7,500 families in 30 different communities.

The first leg of Kabisig sa Tubig happened last month in Cebu and Bohol. P&G and World Vision representatives, provincial and barangay officials, and members of the media were on hand when donations were given to Barangay Compostela, Cebu and Barangay Oy, Bohol. The donation-giving in Sorsogon and Palawan are scheduled for July.

Water-saving Products, to the Rescue

Aside from giving fresh supplies of water, the program will also provide 75,000 sachets of Downy Isang Banlaw, a product that saves water by reducing multiple rinses in the laundry to just one rinse.

It is estimated that the water saved by rinsing only once is equivalent to a family's drinking needs for a week.

According to Downy Country Marketing Manager Mai Mai Madrid-Punzalan, “Since the launch of Downy Isang Banlaw last year, we’ve endeavored to help educate the public on the importance of saving water through various partnerships. Now it is even more urgent, as we feel the effects of El Niño, to encourage everyone to practice water conservation.”

The program will also give out 200,000 sachets of PUR, P&G’s low-cost water purification technology, and 150,000 Safeguard bars to the communities, to improve sanitation and hygiene. PUR is a product developed by P&G for its “Children’s Safe Drinking Water” program under its CSR banner of “Live, Learn and Thrive.” Created in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PUR can purify even heavily contaminated drinking water so that it meets the World Health Organization standard for safe drinking water.

PUR works like a mini water treatment plant in a sachet, with two important ingredients. First, it has coagulating agents that cause the rapid formation of solids in the treated water, which can then be removed from the water by filtering. Second, it has chlorine, which acts as a disinfectant. After letting the water sit for 20 minutes, PUR kills the viruses and bacteria that may be present in the water, making it safe for people to drink.

Since the start of the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program five years ago, P&G has been able to deliver more than 1.6 billion liters of clean water. Working in partnership with groups around the world, PUR sachets have been able to provide safe drinking water to communities in more than 50  countries.

World Vision Philippines Lends a Hand

“Since these communities are among the poorest in the country, they often have none or not enough water systems that would efficiently and effectively provide each household with the most basic of human necessities—water,” says Boris Joaquin, World Vision’s Publics in Ministry Director.

This situation is worsened by El Niño, which causes water levels in even their small water sources like springs and wells to go down, making the water donation a very welcome help to these communities. “We are grateful to Procter & Gamble for this partnership. The health impact of El Niño is hardly emphasized, increasing the risk of certain diseases. Providing clean, safe drinking water, and donating water-saving products like Downy and PUR, and Safeguard for hygiene, are a great help to the poor communities, who suffer the most in this El Niño cycle,” says Joaquin.