AXA XL announces partnership with charity WaterAid

New Delhi [India] Oct 03 (ANI/NewsVoir): As part of its efforts to improve water resilience around the world, AXA XL today announced that it has entered into a three-year partnership with international charity WaterAid to help provide more than ten thousand people in rural India with access to clean water.
Nearly one million people globally die each year from diarrhoeal diseases linked to dirty water, and poor sanitation and hygiene. The crisis has a particularly devastating impact on children, affecting their education and health. The provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene could help save the lives of some 310,000 children aged under five each year.
Investing in water and sanitation not only helps transform lives, but it also has financial benefits for whole communities. Every USD 1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of USD 4 in increased productivity.
Today in India, more than 163 million people are currently without safe water and nearly 732 million do not have access to decent sanitation. As part of the new partnership, AXA XL and WaterAid will work to provide communities and schools in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India year-round access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.
Among other things, AXA XL's funding will support WaterAid in creating sanitary blocks and healthcare facilities in schools and community centres, a pipeline water supply unit and rainwater harvesting infrastructure. It will also enable community-level training on water testing and basic hydrology so that communities can manage and sustain the new infrastructure into the future.
The partnership is one part of AXA XL's broader corporate social responsibility focus on improving water resilience, which NASA has warned are likely to be the key environmental challenge of the century.
"AXA XL has a long and established presence in India, with offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru for more than 12 years. We have always been committed to supporting our local communities all year round, but now our interest in the country goes beyond these locations, which is why we're proud to partner with a charity such as WaterAid to bring clean water to some of the country's most vulnerable people", said Derek Nazareth, Head of Global Operations and Country Head, AXA XL India.
"Water scarcity is a threat to billions of people in both developing and developed countries, and extreme weather patterns, population growth, and demographic trends will only exacerbate this problem going forward. As a global (re)insurer, developing resilience is the essence of what we do. We're looking forward to partnering with WaterAid to reduce the risk of critical water shortages in the most exposed regions", added Suzanne Scatliffe, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility at AXA XL.
"An estimated 3.6 billion people lived in water-scarce areas in 2016, and that number is expected to increase to around five billion by 2050, while a staggering two billion people currently live without access to basic sanitation. This global crisis requires urgent action as these basics are vital to overcoming global poverty. We're therefore delighted that AXA XL will be joining us on our journey to achieving a world where everyone, everywhere has access to clean water, improved sanitation and good hygiene", commented Marcus Missen, Director of Communications and Fundraising at WaterAid.
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