PepsiCo donates $8 mln to India clean water program

PepsiCo Foundation, the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo on Thursday said it has committed USD8 million grant to Water.org, a non-profit organization engaged in providing safe water and sanitation in Africa, South Asia and Central America, to help provide clean drinking water and sanitation programs in India.

The foundation and Water.org have expanded their partnership to scale WaterCredit, a market-driven model that will provide micro loans to families throughout the country, the company said in a statement and reported in the Hindustan Times.

This expansion will help enable approximately 800,000 people to access safe water by March 2016, it said, adding the commitment “is made possible by an USD8 million grant – the largest contribution by the Foundation in its 50-year history.”

“Water is an integral part of PepsiCo’s business ecosystem, and ensuring access to clean, reliable sources of water is vital to the health and livelihood of communities around the world,” PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi said.

She said the partnership with Water.org will help bring clean water and sanitation to hundreds of thousands in India, and help enable a sustainable business in the future for PepsiCo.