The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has formally launched its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program: AFC Clean Water Campaign.
The Campaign, a staff led initiative, aims to increase access to clean water and improve health and sanitation in communities across Africa, in particular schools and orphanages.
The Clean Water Campaign provides access to clean water via a solar powered borehole, water treatment plant and storage tanks. The initiative is fully aligned with AFC’s core values as it utilizes renewable energy, particularly solar, as the major source of power – resulting in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and cost savings by replacing electricity from both the national grid and diesel and petrol generators.
The pioneer institution to benefit from the AFC’s clean water campaign is the Arrows of God Orphanage situated in Ajah, Lagos, which is home to about 150 abandoned and homeless children. Founded by Rev. Lt. Col. D.C. Ogo (Rtd), the Orphanage was established and incorporated as a government registered charity organization in January 1998, and was set up to help reduce poverty, suffering and distress afflicted upon children as a result of abandonment, death or lack of parental care.
At the commissioning of the project, Mr. Andrew Alli, President and CEO, said: “Access to clean water is a fundamental human right, one we should all be able to enjoy. As well as being a huge barrier to social development and healthy living, it is also one of the chief restraints on economic growth; Sub-Saharan Africa collectively loses around 40 billion hours per year collecting water.
“The AFC Clean Water Campaign will dramatically improve the quality of life of the people its projects reach. We are deliberately choosing the most vulnerable in our society with the hope that both they and their families in the surrounding community will benefit, greatly reducing their risk of illness and death from water borne diseases.
“This is AFC’s way of giving back, staying true to our core mandate of infrastructure development and improving lives across Africa. We are proud to be able to support the Arrows of God Orphanage and their wonderful work in this way.”
The Chairperson of the Arrows Of God Board of Trustees, Mrs. Ngozi Eze (Director), stated that “we are very grateful to have been selected as the pioneers of such an important campaign and assure AFC that we will maintain the facilities which we hope you can replicate elsewhere”.