The Swiss start-up FILL ME AG is donating CHF 100,000 to a drinking water project in Madagascar, giving 30,000 schoolchildren long-term access to drinking water and sanitary facilities.
The FILL ME bottle and the non-profit organization DRINK & DONATE (D&D) have a common history, linked by the same founder: Andreas Batliner. The drinking bottle was originally developed from a D&D sustainability project. A custom-printed FILL ME bottle enables partner companies of DRINK & DONATE to make their commitment to greater sustainability not only visible, but also tangible. And customers have always donated CHF 1 to D&D's drinking water projects when they buy a drinking bottle. The idea is that people in Switzerland drink tap water instead of bottled mineral water, make a small donation and thus give people in need access to clean drinking water. FILL ME AG has been responsible for FILL ME products as an independent start-up company since mid-2019. However, the connection to D&D remains. FILL ME AG has passed on just under 5% of the company's turnover to D&D from the income generated in the first 12 months, a large part of which is the donations of CHF 28,000.
Our wish was to support a drinking water project that will be built over the next few years and have a sustainable impact for many years to come. With the help of D&D, we found a suitable Helvetas project in Madagascar.
The project - clean water for schools
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 92% of the population lives below the poverty line. Half of the 26 million inhabitants have no access to clean drinking water and there is an almost complete lack of sanitary facilities. Rural areas are most affected by contaminated drinking water. The authorities responsible for water supply are neither trained nor equipped for their tasks, and there is a lack of financial resources at all ends. This is where the Helvetas project comes in. In the project region, Helvetas supports the communities in building up knowledge and developing strategies, planning and control instruments. This should enable them to develop and expand their water supply independently with the involvement of local companies and ensure its long-term operation. This drinking water project focuses on providing around 60,000 people in six communities in the districts of Miandrivazo and Antananarivo, including the capital of the same name, with sustainable access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities. In addition, a further 20,000 people will benefit from a water connection within a reasonable distance.
The donations from FILL ME AG are intended to ensure the water supply at six different schools within the project. This includes main water connections, hand basins, showers and latrines. This will give over 1200 pupils and 40 teachers access to clean drinking water and sanitary facilities every year. With a planned lifespan of 25 years, this will benefit over 30,000 schoolchildren.
This is how we proceed
FILL ME AG is supporting this project exclusively for the next three years. Every six months, we will report the donations generated to DRINK & DONATE, which will invoice us and forward the money to Helvetas. The first payment of CHF 28,000 has already been transferred. With the pleasingly positive course of business and the donations generated from this, we are convinced that we will collect the project amount of CHF 103,800 by the end of 2022. The construction project should be completed by this date.
You want to take part
Do you like this project? Then you can join in too. When you buy a FILL ME bottle, you automatically donate CHF 1 to DRINK & DONATE and thus to the project in Madagascar. You even have the option of purchasing one or more donations of CHF 6 as a "single item" in our webshop. We will forward 100% of your donation to D&D. Click here to donate:fill-me.ch/drink-donate-1chf.html