Planet Water launches water health programme in the region

Featuring Sesame Street characters, the campaign is funded by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and supports Planet Water's Asia Water-for-Life programme, created to provide clean, safe water and education on water health and hygiene to disadvantaged communities in the region. 

The programme focuses on elementary schools in rural villages by deploying community-based water filtration systems, handwashing infrastructure and multimedia educational programmes teaching children about the lifesaving aspects of water health and hygiene.

The programme will be rolled out in the Philippines during June, India in August and Vietnam by the last quarter of the year. The launch in Indonesia followed a week-long social media campaign involving water hygiene messaging posted to Sesame Workshop, JPMorgan Community and Planet Water's social media sites, with a combined reach of over 3.5 million people.

Sesame Workshop also produced three public service announcements (PSAs) of 30 seconds each, which will be broadcasted on national television networks in Indonesia, the Philippines and India.

Planet Water is a US-based, non-profit organisation focused on bringing clean water to the world’s disadvantaged communities. Founder and CEO Mark Steele noted that 75 per cent of the project beneficiaries are school children. 

Through grants from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, a total of 92 AquaTowers will be installed across the region by July with the educational content expected to reach about 50,000 school children in its first year.

Steele said the completion of the latest AquaTower deployments in Mataram, Indonesia was a great way to kick-off the educational initiative.

“The goal is to provide children with the necessary knowledge to educate others, such as their family and friends, to create a change in behaviour, beliefs and attitude on water health and hygiene, along with providing children with the necessary knowledge to educate others, such as their family and friends," he added.