Wateraid and H&M essential swimwear |
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| Friday, 19 June 2009 | |
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For the eighth year running, H&M will be once again raising money for the international charity
WaterAid, to help provide clean water and sanitation to the world’s poorest people. For 2009, H&M has designed a bikini for women in two colours, two colours of shorts for men, and swimwear for boys and girls. It’s the first time H&M has produced a full collection to raise funds for WaterAid, 10% from sales of which will go directly to the charity which aims to save lives through one of our simplest needs. “The long-term partnership between H&M and WaterAid has already helped to change the lives of thousands of the world’s poorest people. The commitment from H&M is first-rate, and we are absolutely delighted to receive their support this year through their full swimwear collection. “One in eight people in the world do not have access to safe water and every day 4000 children die from water-related diseases, so this partnership really is vital in helping us to reach out to these people, enabling them to access safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.” Andrew Cook, WaterAid Director of Fundraising and Communications. Since the beginning of the collaboration in 2002, H&M has raised over £1million for WaterAid through its special swimsuit designs. In 2008 alone, H&M raised £216,202 from its WaterAid swimwear. The primary focus area for the funds is Bangladesh, supporting WaterAid’s work in the slums of Dhaka and Chittagong to improve hygiene awareness and access to water and sanitation. The funds raised will also help projects in Madagascar and Tanzania. The projects which H&M are supporting will provide more than 75,000 people with safe water, 50,000 with sanitation facilities and more than 100,000 with hygiene information. Ingrid Schullström, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at H&M, says: "H&M is very proud to support the charity WaterAid and the life-changing work that it does. Water is fundamentally a women's issue in the developing world, as it is mostly the women's responsibility to provide water for the family and to care for those who fall ill." "The partnership means a great deal to us, especially as WaterAid has projects in areas where some of H&M's suppliers are located, and women working in factories producing for us may benefit directly from WaterAid's work." www.wateraid.org |
