RYE BROOK, NY, Oct. 19, 2015 -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) has awarded the 2015 Corporate Citizenship Award to Xylem Inc., a company dedicated to solving challenging water issues, for the best health and wellness program. The award recognizes the company's work to provide sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (W.A.S.H.) solutions to many of the world's most vulnerable communities.
Xylem, through its corporate citizenship and social investment program, Xylem Watermark, partners with best-in-class nonprofit partners to build and improve W.A.S.H. infrastructure to meet the needs of hundreds of thousands of people in nine countries. These projects include the construction of new water systems, renovation of washrooms and sanitation blocks, repair of hand-washing facilities, and the building of gravity-fed water towers and water cisterns in schools and communities.
Xylem Watermark has collaborated with Water For People, China Women's Development Foundation, Planet Water Foundation, and Fundación Avina to execute 740 W.A.S.H.-related projects in the past seven years. "W.A.S.H. education programs and access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene are critical building blocks to sustainable human and economic development," said Colin Sabol, Chairman of the Xylem Watermark Committee. "We are especially proud to receive this award because it highlights our program's results and the impact our programs have on local communities."
Xylem Watermark and its nonprofit partners develop customized programs to increase broad adoption of smarter W.A.S.H. practices by communities in need. Dynamic curricula have been established in partnership with Planet Water Foundation and are deployed to teach schoolchildren about germs through games and coloring books -- empowering students to become W.A.S.H. teachers for their families and communities.
A recent Planet Water Foundation impact report noted that participants in the curriculum in India experienced an 80-percent decrease in diarrheal episodes versus a 27-percent increase among children not participating in the program. Likewise, Water For People uses a "train-the-trainer model" to engage local leaders to act as role models and mentors within their communities. Xylem also encourages its employees to make their mark through global and regional volunteer trips, where they participate in fieldwork in communities with nonprofit partners, becoming advocates for global water solutions.
See also:
"Xylem to provide sustainable disinfection solution for golf course irrigation in Texas"
"Xylem announces two significant executive leadership positions, effective October"
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a global water technology provider, enabling customers to transport, treat, test and efficiently use water in public utility, residential and commercial building services, industrial and agricultural settings. The company does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands, and its people bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on finding local solutions to the world’s most challenging water and wastewater problems. For more information, visit www.xyleminc.com.
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