Gap, Cargill, GSK Join Forces To Tackle Water Crisis

India's fight to ensure clean water and sanitation gets boost with the launch of the Women + Water Collaborative, enhancing life and climate resilience in water-sensitive regions.

Gap Inc., Cargill, and GSK have joined forces with WaterAid and the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC) in an initiative to tackle the global water crisis. It's a unique collaboration where corporations from diverse sectors, including apparel, biopharma, and agriculture, have come together with common goals. Building upon the successes of the USAID Gap Inc. Women + Water Alliance, this endeavour aims to provide improved access to water and sanitation to more than 2.4 million people in India.

The Women + Water Collaborative is one of 21 projects that span four continents, aimed at strengthening water resilience in 100 critical basins, in line with the WRC's grand plan for 2030.

The initiative is committed to enhancing water resources in key river basins, using innovative techniques such as rainwater harvesting to lead the way. This will ensure that communities have access to clean drinking water and long-lasting sanitation infrastructure. The project also acknowledges the pivotal role of rural Indian women in water resource management and aims to amplify their voices in decision-making processes, ensuring comprehensive water security and promoting equal access to water and sanitation.

Sanda Ojiambo has been actively promoting the partnership between the United Nations Global Compact and the Water Resilience Coalition. She believes that the collaboration of these corporations is setting a new course of action, exemplifying the essence of the Forward Faster Water Resilience Target, and clarifying the way towards the WRC's objectives for 2030.

Dan Fibiger of Gap Inc., Claire Lund from GSK, and Michelle Grogg of Cargill voiced similar optimism, emphasising the transformative change in which such synergistic efforts can usher.

Kelly Parsons, the head of WaterAid America, believes that the success of the initiative is closely linked to the number and strength of its alliances. She emphasises the importance of collaboration and broad-based partnerships in achieving large-scale positive transformation. According to Parsons, by fostering expansive partnerships, WaterAid can unleash the true potential of collective endeavour and pave the way for lasting change.