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Today at the 7^th World Water Forum , Ahmet Bozer, Executive Vice President and President of Coca-Cola International, announced the expansion of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation ’s (TCCAF) Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), pledging an additional US$35 million to support Pan-African safe water access and sanitation programs for 4 million more people by 2020. This new funding builds on an original RAIN commitment of US$30 million to bring safe water access to 2 million people across the African continent by the end of 2015 made at the 5^th World Water Forum in Istanbul in 2009. This funding will help to improve the lives of more than a total of 6 million Africans through access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) by 2020.

Today, with more than 140 partners, RAIN is a public-private partnership led by TCCAF whose programs currently empower 2,000 communities through WASH programs in 37 African countries. The expansion builds on the strong progress RAIN has made toward its goal of improving safe water access for 2 million people across Africa – a goal the program is on track to achieve by the end of 2015. Through the RAIN program expansion, TCCAF and its partners will work to improve safe water access for 6 million Africans; economically empower up to 250,000 women and youth; promote health and hygiene in thousands of communities, schools, and health centers; and return up to 18.5 billion liters of water to nature and communities.

“Our commitment to the well-being of African communities is unwavering. Through the efforts of RAIN, we are reinforcing the incredible progress made to date with our many partners and are pledging to do even more,” said Dr. Susan Mboya, President, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. “As we begin work in this era of new commitments, we must continue the progress made from the Millennium Development Goals to set these economies up for success. Through programs and partnerships focused on safe water access, women’s economic empowerment, job creation and community well-being we are investing in the future progress and prosperity of the African people and economy.”

RAIN and its partners announced programs that will protect watersheds, provide sustainable safe water access and create new opportunities for women and youth entrepreneurs in Africa by the end of 2020. These programs include:

• In Kenya, Madagascar, and Mozambique , Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) will leverage RAIN funding to contribute to city-wide access to improved water services and associated reductions in water and hygiene related diseases in selected cities, benefitting up to 2 million people by 2018.
• In Zambia , TCCAF, Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WSUP are providing sustainable safe water access throughout the city of Lusaka. WSUP and USAID are leveraging TCCAF funds to provide sustainable safe water access to more than 40,000 people through community water kiosks and a distribution network as well as to provide sanitation facilities and hygiene education in schools in peri-urban Lusaka, benefiting up to 50,000 people. MCC's broader investments in water, sanitation and drainage in Lusaka are expected to improve the health and economic productivity of more than 1.2 million of the city's residents.
• In Rwanda , TCCAF and Global Grassroots are empowering women to lead water enterprises, improving water access for 30,000 people across the country.

“WSUP is proud to be one of TCCAF’s key strategic partners creating systemic change in WASH service provision across Africa,” said Neil Jeffery, CEO of Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor. “Building on our joint success, we will support and enable service providers to enhance their response towards a shared vision of improved water and sanitation service. TCCAF will also collaborate with WSUP’s consulting arm (WSUP Advisory) to partner with others who are scaling WASH service delivery outside of WSUP’s core countries.”

About RAIN

In response to the severe water challenges faced by the nearly 300 million Africans living without access to clean water, TCCAF introduced the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) in 2009. RAIN recognizes the water projects that TCCC and its bottling partners already supported on the continent (since 2005) and TCCC’s new water projects in Africa from RAIN investment from 2010 to 2015. RAIN aims to provide 6 million people in Africa with access to safe water by the end of 2020. RAIN is The Coca-Cola Company’s contribution to helping Africa achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals on clean water and sanitation access. TCCAF will leverage this US$65-million investment and aims to attract dollar-for-dollar match funding through 2020.

About The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) is an entity funded through Coca-Cola that is concerned with community enhancement projects throughout Africa. TCCAF has committed resources and is collaborating with other organizations to provide communities with improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation through the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN); to contribute to strengthening Africa’s health systems; and to create opportunities for youth empowerment. RAIN is TCCAF’s signature program and serves as Coca-Cola’s response to Africa’s water challenges. In addition to RAIN, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation supports programs in Health Systems Strengthening and Youth Empowerment in Africa. Learn more about RAIN at our website .

About Global Environment & Technology Foundation

The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), established in 1988, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to promote sustainable development through partnerships and targeted action. GETF works with public and private partners to shape a brighter future for communities and the environment by creating and managing high-impact partnerships, introducing new technologies and directing programs that have a lasting and positive impact on the world. GETF is the program manager for the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), which is the signature community initiative of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. RAIN will transform the lives of at least 6 million people in Africa by 2020 through sustainable safe water access. GETF also manages the Water and Development Alliance and the Project Last Mile Partnership between The Coca-Cola Company and USAID. GETF is also home to Global Water Challenge and the US Water Partnership .

About USAID

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade, global health, democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance. USAID provides assistance in five regions of the world: Sub-Saharan Africa , Asia , Latin America and the Caribbean , Europe and Eurasia , and the Middle East . With headquarters in Washington, D.C., USAID's strength is its field offices around the world. We work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations, indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses, international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. Government agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500 American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary organizations.

About the Millennium Challenge Corporation

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. Government foreign aid agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth. MCC is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people. To learn more about MCC please visit http://www.mcc.gov .

About Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor

Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is a non-profit partnership between the private sector, NGOs and research institutions focused on solving the global problem of inadequate water and sanitation in low-income urban communities. It brings lasting solutions to low-income areas by working in partnership with service providers including water utilities, local authorities and businesses, and the communities they serve. WSUP strengthens the capacity of service providers to deliver sustainable citywide water and sanitation services, promote good hygiene and raise the environmental standards of low-income communities. WSUP is a RAIN partner, implementing projects in Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals and provide communities with clean water and sanitation services. For more information visit http://www.wsup.com/

NOTE TO PRESS : Dr. Susan Mboya will be onsite in Daegu, South Korea, at the 7^th World Water Forum on Tuesday, 14 April, to host a briefing on the Replenish Africa Initiative and address media questions in person. Several of RAIN’s best-in-class partners, such as Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor, who have been instrumental in RAIN achieving its goals, will also participate in the briefing. Event will take place on Tuesday, 14 April, from 13:30-14:30 in DEC_309, DAEGU – EXCO, 3F Room 323.

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