Addisae, 14, standing by a tap stand built by WaterAid in her community in Burie, Ethiopia.
The Wimbledon Foundation, the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and The Championships, has committed £1.2 million in a new three-year partnership to help WaterAid in its mission to bring clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to all by 2030.
The expanded commitment is an extension of the Wimbledon Foundation and WaterAid’s initial three-year partnership, which began in 2018 with an annual donation of £100,000, and which will increase to a total of £1.2 million awarded over the next three years.
In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, never has the role of good hygiene and handwashing in maintaining infection prevention and control been more relevant and more important. And yet across the world, one in 10 people live without clean water close by, while almost one in four have nowhere decent to go to the toilet at home. WaterAid works with local partners in some of the world’s poorest countries to bring lasting solutions to communities, while also working with the government to influence policy and practice. Since 2018, the partnership between WaterAid and the Wimbledon Foundation has helped to transform the lives of more than 125,000 people in Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali and Nepal through access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
Over the next three years, the partnership will focus on healthcare facilities where presently, in low and middle-income countries, one in three lacks clean water and one in four is without decent toilets. This means health workers are unable to wash their hands, surgical equipment cannot be sterilised and mothers have to give birth in unsafe environments. The Wimbledon Foundation’s support will enable WaterAid to transform healthcare facilities with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), helping communities to live healthier lives in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi and Myanmar.
The uplift in funding will also enable WaterAid to develop guidance and resources on WASH and infection prevention and control to ensure best practice is adhered to when access to WASH is being improved or implemented in healthcare facilities.
Helen Parker, Head of the Wimbledon Foundation, said: “The absence of clean water has a devastating impact on people’s health, education and ability to earn a living. In line with our goal to support healthy and active lives, we are proud to be extending our partnership with WaterAid to deliver this multifaceted approach to transforming healthcare facilities around the world to have a far-reaching impact on thousands of people’s lives.”
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive of WaterAid, said: “The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted just how important it is that everyone no matter where they live has clean water, somewhere to wash their hands with soap and a decent toilet. Now, more than ever, we must all scale up our efforts so that no-one misses out on a healthy future. WaterAid always works to create long term change in communities and knowing that we can count on the support of the Wimbledon Foundation for the next three years will help us bring more and more people out of poverty.”
In May this year, the Wimbledon Foundation announced a £1.2 million coronavirus fund to support local and regional charities in tackling the response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to find out more.
