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U.S.-Based Organizations Come Together to Bring Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to Schools in India

Global Water Challenge, H2O for Life and Merck join the Coca-Cola NDTV Support My School Campaign. Live telethon to air this weekend benefiting Indian school children

U.S.-Based Organizations Come Together to Bring Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to Schools in India

Global Water Challenge, H2O for Life and Merck join the Coca-Cola NDTV Support My School Campaign. Live telethon to air this weekend benefiting Indian school children

Published 09-15-11

Submitted by Merck & Co., Inc.

Today, Merck,[1] H2O for Life and Global Water Challenge committed to help turn the tide on a leading cause of illness and death in India – water- and sanitation-related disease – by joining the ground-breaking Support My School campaign. The campaign aims to increase access to clean water and sanitation facilities for school children across India in order to improve child health, school attendance and educational attainment. A live 12-hour Support My School telethon starring Indian cricket star and Campaign Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar will air this Sunday, September 18th, to raise funds and awareness for the campaign.

Launched earlier this year, the Support My School campaign is backed by NDTV and Coca-Cola in association with UN-HABITAT, CAF, Pearson Foundation and Sulabh International.

In India, 1 in 3 children drop out of school by 5th grade and 1 in 2 by the 8th grade, in part because fewer than 50 percent of schools have adequate sanitation facilities for both boys and girls. Water- and sanitation-related diseases are a leading cause of death for children in India, causing more than 1,000 preventable deaths per day in children under the age of five. Globally, 443 million school days are lost each year due to inadequate water and sanitation. Lack of necessary water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in schools contributes not only to higher dropout rates, but also to poor child health and diminished cognitive development.

The Support My School campaign is expected to directly impact at least 50,000 students in 100 schools across India. Each of the 100 schools will receive improved access to water and gender-specific sanitation, infrastructure for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, landscape improvement, library construction, teacher training and new sports facilities. The Pearson Foundation will serve as ‘Learning Partner’ for this initiative, providing support for teachers and helping to outfit classrooms and libraries in the 100 participating schools.

An awareness-raising campaign, led by NDTV, is also working to inform all Indians about the necessity of water and sanitation in schools. It is expected to reach 10 million people and will culminate on Sunday, September 18th, with a one-day live telethon broadcast on Indian national TV. Viewers from the United States can access a live broadcast of the telethon at www.NDTV.com.

Global Water Challenge will join its members Merck, H2O for Life and Coca-Cola India and other campaign partners and representatives for the 12-hour telethon. Indian cricket star and Campaign Ambassador Sachin Tendulkar will be joined by the Indian Premier Cricket League’s Mumbai Indians, movie star Sharukh Khan, Sify.com, The Coca-Cola Company, NDTV and Indian government officials for a day of impact stories and fundraising. More details on the telethon can be found on the campaign’s Facebook page.

Making an Impact

Through Support My School, The Merck Company Foundation is already supporting water, sanitation and hygiene improvements in eight schools in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states and among the worst in water and sanitation coverage. 

“Merck is committed to improving the health of India’s communities,” said K. G. Ananthakrishnan, Managing Director of Merck in India. “Clean water and sanitation are fundamental to a child’s health and development potential, and are consistent with Merck's environmental vision of creating a healthy planet that will allow people and our business to thrive into the future.”

H2O for Life, a leading U.S.-based service learning organization, and its student partners are joining the campaign to provide funds for water and sanitation facilities in eight schools in the state of Gujarat with matching grants from other campaign supporters.

“Educating students in the U.S. about the lack of water and sanitation in schools drives powerful change. Our students’ enthusiasm and energy to raise funds for their counterparts in India and other developing countries is a tremendous example of what educated and empowered young people can do,” said Patty Hall, H2O for Life President.

Mr. Deepak Jolly, Senior Vice-President, Coca-Cola India and South West, Asia said, “Partnerships can achieve wonders and it is my pleasure to welcome Merck to the campaign as a partner and thank them for their contribution. At Coca-Cola, we believe that the role of business in the 21st century is not just about creating shareholder value but also promoting the sustainability of the environment and local communities. We are looking forward to corporations, NGOs and citizens coming forward and contributing to this campaign in their own way and we will be glad to facilitate their contribution.”

“The Support My School campaign will address one of the most essential and fundamental building blocks for healthier children and more successful communities in India,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge.

Smt. Jayashree Thackeray, Principal Government School in Adampur, said, “I would like to thank Merck for helping my school and the cluster of eight schools by providing funds for revitalization. We need to engage and encourage more participation from corporations, people and NGOs to take up projects so that more successful examples of public-private partnerships can emerge. I congratulate Coca-Cola India, UN-HABITAT and all the campaign partners for the wonderful initiative that will ensure that the children get better access to basic facilities.

About Merck
Today's Merck is a global healthcare leader working to help the world be well. Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Through our prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, and consumer care and animal health products, we work with customers and operate in more than 140 countries to deliver innovative health solutions. We also demonstrate our commitment to increasing access to healthcare through far-reaching policies, programs and partnerships. For more information, visit www.merck.com.

About H2O for Life
H2O for Life partners schools in the United States with schools in developing countries that are in need of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). A non-profit organization, H2O for Life provides resources to educators to teach students about the global water crisis while building their passion to raise funds to provide water, latrines and hygiene education at their partner school. 100% of all donations raised by students go directly to their partner school projects. Through H2O for Life service-learning activities, students learn that they can make a difference in the lives of others by becoming energized global citizens and activists for change. For more information, visit www.h2oforlifeschools.org.

About The Support My School Campaign
Every child has a right to learn in a happy, healthy environment which is critical for the overall development of the child. Today, many children in India do not have access to basic amenities in their school. Lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools in rural India continues to remain a huge challenge. Studies have shown that inadequate sanitation has a huge impact on the girl child who is forced to drop out of school as she enters adolescence. We believe this is an area of concern and needs immediate attention. 

NDTV in partnership with Coca-Cola India, launched the Support My School campaign on the 24th of January 2011. This is a nationwide attempt to create awareness on water and sanitation, environment, healthy active living and providing a holistic environment in schools. We are supported in this initiative by Sachin Tendulkar, the campaign ambassador, Charities Aid Foundation India, UN-HABITAT and Sulabh International and by Pearson Foundation as Learning Partners.

About Global Water Challenge
Global Water Challenge (GWC) is a coalition of leading corporations, NGOs and other organizations committed to achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). GWC accelerates the delivery of safe water and sanitation through partnerships that catalyze financial support and drive innovation for sustainable solutions. For more information about GWC’s commitment to WASH, visit www.globalwaterchallenge.org.

[1] Merck is known as MSD outside the United States and Canada.

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Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc.

At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy future for all people and communities. For more information, visit www.merck.com and connect with us on TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube and LinkedIn.

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