With the gradual increase of COVID-19 infections across the country, Nestlé Ethiopia has donated 3,697,070 Birr to the Ethiopian Red Cross Society to help deliver Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) support for communities most affected in Sululta, in a bid to help mitigate the rapid spread of Coronavirus.
The Ethiopian Red Cross Society will use the money to improve access to WASH services for 1,100 households in Sululta, through the construction of a water spring and water collection points, cattle trough, washing basin and shower, as well as improving the security of Bosaka Spring by rehabilitating the fencing.
In addition, the donation will aid in strengthening the capacity of the local water committee, and community health volunteers and support ongoing sanitation and hygiene sensitization and awareness campaigns in the town.
“Our endeavor, through this donation, is to support the most people in need especially those in higher-risk areas. We have partnered with the Ethiopian Red Cross Society to increase the delivery of clean water, and work with the community in Sululta to sensitize them on the importance of hygiene practices, to help them adopt healthy behaviors and address fear, stigma and misinformation of COVID-19,” said Wossenyeleh Shiferaw, Nestlé
Horn of Africa Cluster Manager.
Nestle’s support of Red Cross WASH projects in Sululta is expected to indirectly mitigate and support prevention measures of COVID-19 outbreaks in the city, where the probability of an outbreak remains high, due to its dense population, proximity to Addis Ababa and being along the highway linking Addis and other major cities, north of the country.
Nestlé is one of Ethiopia’s corporate institutions that have stepped in to support the government and Ethiopians in managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company recently donated personal protective equipment including 500 scrubs and 500 rubber boots to the Ministry of Health to support health workers at the frontline in fighting Coronavirus in the country.
Nestlé Ethiopia was established in 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It also serves as the headquarters of Nestlé Horn of Africa (HoA) Cluster. The cluster oversees market development activities across Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia markets. The cluster imports and distributes multiple brands and categories.
The history of Nestlé begins in 1866 with the foundation of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. Henri Nestlé develops a breakthrough infant food in 1867, and in 1905 the company he founded merges with Anglo-Swiss, to form what is now known as the Nestlé Group.