Unilever announces MoU with USAID

KARACHI (PR) - Unilever Pakistan Limited has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for "Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project" to promote health awareness programmes in the country, here on Wednesday.

At the ceremony, Unilever Pakistan Ltd Chairman Ehsan Malik further expressed the solidarity of the brand with the health awareness campaign. "As a part of Unilever's ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, the company has teamed up with USAID to create awareness about the problems faced by the society due to unsanitary conditions," said Malik. "The incidence of fatality can be brought down significantly through proper use of soap. Most health related problems are caused by unhygienic living and not washing hands and this project would definitely help in highlighting the preventive measures people can take to live a healthy life," he added.

Through this programme, a comprehensive technical review would be provided of the water treatment and water quality testing technologies for use at the community and household levels, and supporting pilot tests of technologies that show potential for technical, social and economic acceptability. Moreover, Unilever-USAID partnership would help in expanding school and community-based activities within the project area, covering 40 districts/agencies of Pakistan with Lifebuoy co-branding and a one-year agreement between the two entities.

Through this collaboration, the programme would increase access of Lifebuoy affordable soap products to low-income households in pre-defined project districts. This would in turn increase knowledge of using soap during hand washing at critical times as per mutually agreed plan; work towards reducing the incidence of diarrhea in children under the age of five.