SIG and Unicef: Water is Life

It is no secret that, in many parts of the world, the dearest wishes of childhood are considerably more existential than in other countries. To contribute to providing survival basics for people in need, this year, packaging expert SIG has decided once again to support a relief project instead of giving business associates expensive Christmas gifts. The company is helping the United Nations children's relief project, UNICEF, with a Christmas donation of 80,000 EUR.

UNICEF's relief project in the Sudan is called Water is life. In the Sudan, in the north-eastern corner of Africa, extreme water shortage is a feature of everyday life for most people. More than half of the country's rural population has no access to clean water. Recurrent droughts cause the water supply system to collapse time and again. Many children suffer from diarrhoea, worm infestations and inflammation of the eyes - mostly caused by polluted water.

SIG's donation will be used in the Kordofan region, which is particularly badly affected. UNICEF is building wells and sanitary facilities in the region. With the help of the SIG donation, UNICEF will be able to drill five wells, catering for 2,000 people, and equip them with sturdy hand-pumps. "In addition, our donation will be used to equip five schools with separate sanitary facilities for girls and boys, to improve sanitation", says Dr Josef Collin, Head of Corporate Services at SIG in Linnich, who has been personally involved with humanitarian aid projects for many years. On a number of occasions, he has initiated major projects on SIG's behalf, to support people in emergency in cooperation with UNICEF, and has been on-site to report on the progress of the projects. It was in this way, for example, that SIG supported

UNICEF's 'School in a box' project with a Christmas donation in 2003.

This donation provided study materials for 26,400 children in Afghanistan.

"As an international group of companies, social responsibility is a given for us. That's why we've been supporting various relief projects around the world for years", says Rolf-Dieter Rademacher, CEO of SIG.

This is how the link with UNICEF was first established. UNICEF works throughout the world to provide children with their basic needs for survival. With regard to their ongoing development work, the organisation mainly focuses on health, balanced nutrition, clean water, education, HIV/AIDS and shelter. At the forefront of the relief work activities are caring for AIDS orphans, and the fight against mother-to-child transmission of the AIDS virus. In addition, UNICEF works to support children affected by war, refugee children, child soldiers, child labourers, and displaced and trafficked children, and the organisation campaigns to reduce poverty.