Boy sitting fills his cup with water from the water dispenser. Boy sitting fills his cup with water from the water dispenser.
ZF hilft.Help Projects2016: Water is Life

Water is Life: Projects in Nepal, Peru and Mozambique

In the anniversary year 2015, all employees worldwide were called upon to make donations to the joint project "100 Years – 100 Schools.” In 2017, all ZF employees worldwide were able to participate in the selection of the new annual project for the first time. The decision was made in favor of the "water is life" project.

In order to implement this project successfully, you need a partner who has aid workers in the poverty regions and can provide the relevant expertise of how needy people can be assisted in helping themselves. Our partner at "water is life" is the global aid organization CARE.

  • Who or what is CARE? This non-governmental organization, NGO for short, was founded in the United States in 1945. More than 100 million CARE packages helped relieve hunger and poverty in the aftermath of the Second World War. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, CARE is one of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations and has a global network consisting of 14 national CARE organizations. CARE is politically independent and ethnically and religiously neutral. Some 14,000 employees worldwide – 95% are local staff – look after the needs of people in distress.
  • CARE focuses primarily on WASH: These four letters stand for access to drinking water (WA), construction of sanitary facilities (S) and instruction in hygiene (H). WASH is considered a key sector of development work and humanitarian aid in many parts of the world. To systematically and effectively implement WASH, the local CARE workers concentrate in particular on the training of women and girls in all aspects relating to the topic of water. That’s because women are responsible for children and thus provide their knowledge to the next generation.

The "water is life" project focuses on three poverty regions: Nepal, Peru and Mozambique. In Nepal, one of the regions of the world most affected by earthquakes, CARE is committed to improving the water supply. In the drought-ridden regions of northwest Mozambique and in the high plains of Peru, the initiative is sponsoring the construction of water access stations and sanitary facilities. In all three countries, the activities are accompanied by hygiene education.

Picture Gallery

Help in the earthquake region of Nepal

The CARE assistance in Nepal focuses on the Gorkha region – one of the regions most affected by the major earthquake in 2015. The natural disaster destroyed the local water supply; more than 5,500 households have since had no access to drinking water. The "ZF hilft." fundraising campaign is to reestablish the water supply for the people of Gorkha by rebuilding water systems. The relief program also focuses on improving the sanitation and hygiene situation.

Help in the highlands of Peru

In rural communities of Junín and Huancavelica in the central highlands of Peru, children under five years of age suffer extremely from chronic malnutrition. The region is very vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. High rainfalls and glacial melting are the consequence, resulting again and again in landslides. These, in turn, destroy cultivable land for vegetables and drinking water systems. Specifically, CARE locally supports 1,236 women and some 1,000 children under five years of age. The measures provide for the improvement of nutrition, drinking water supply and hygienic facilities.

Help in Mozambique

The district of Moma, in the Nampula province, has extremely poor access to clean water out of 21 districts. Poor hygiene is a major cause of child malnutrition. Being active in this region for more than 32 years, CARE has successfully installed or rehabilitated water points in more than 600 communities. The relief operation aims to provide 20,000 people with access to water at the driest time of the year and 100% year-round sanitation in the same communities. In addition to the installation and rehabilitation of water points, management and maintenance of these water points are among the objectives of this aid project in Mozambique.

"ZF HILFT." WITH RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THE FUTURE