MILAN, Italy, June 18, 2011 -- Green Cross International's Smart Water for Green Schools project in Ghana will receive 43 million liters of water thanks to a collaboration between Green Cross International and Giorgio Armani.
The Acqua for Life Challenge aims to provide access to safe drinking water, and in doing so, to ensure children are able to continue their education. For every bottle of Acqua di Gio and Acqua di Gioia, two of Giorgio Armani's fragrances, sold between March 1 and May 31,2011, a donation of 100 liters of drinking water was made.
Consumers could double their donation using a unique code on each carton and creating their own Acqua for Life community on the Facebook Acqua for Life fan page. Each new member of their community generated an additional donation of 10 liters of water; each "like" and/or "comments" within the community generated a 1 liter donation.
The outcome surpassed the program's goal of raising 40 million liters of safe drinking water for communities in Ghana. This allows the project to be expanded to 16 communities. The Acqua for Life Challenge 2011 has already benefited 10 communities, all located in the Eastern region of Ghana. Six other communities in the Volta Region will also be helped.
A total of approximately 27,000 people will thus have access to safe drinking water. Out of those 27,000 people, approximately 3,500 will be children who will enjoy a safe water supply while at school. This, in turn, will increase the children's school attendance.
In addition, 200 professors will also benefit from the installations.
At the end of the project's implementation about 110 community members -- predominantly women, masons and mechanics -- will be trained to maintain and refurbish the systems, ensuring their optimal and sustainable utilization.
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