RAIN: The Replenish Africa Initiative: The Coca-Cola Company

The lack of safe drinking water in Africa is no secret. Every year, preventable waterborne illnesses claim the lives of millions of Africans. No single organization can resolve the continent’s water crisis, but business, civil society, NGOs and government can work together to develop sustainable solutions.

The Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) aims to improve access to clean water for 2 million people in Africa by 2015. RAIN is backed by a six-year, $30 million dollar commitment by The Coca-Cola Company and made possible through the support of more than 140 partners who provide development expertise and additional resources required to implement the projects sustainably.

The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation’s flagship program is making a positive difference in 35 of 55 of African countries by promoting happy and healthy lives. In these countries, we are building sustainable communities, catalyzing investment in clean water access, improving water and sanitation access for school children, replenishing more than 2 billion liters of water annually back to communities and nature, and empowering women through clean water access and entrepreneurship.

Since its launch in 2009, RAIN has reached more than 1 million people with sustainable clean water access. The program’s objectives focus on making a strong, lasting community impact while supporting TCCC’s water stewardship goals and helping Africa meet the UN Millennium Development Goal on water and sanitation.

Why Water?

The lack of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is one of the greatest obstacles to poverty alleviation and economic growth in many countries.

In 2006, the African Development Bank estimated that access to water supply and sanitation in Africa was 64% and 38%, respectively. Globally, 780 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation.
On average, in rural Africa, women spend 26% of their time collecting water, which often means time spent walking five miles or more to the nearest water source.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every $1 spent on water and sanitation generates a return of $4 in saved time, increased productivity and reduced health costs in Africa.
More people die from contaminated water than from all forms of violence combined, including wars.

How RAIN Works

RAIN projects are tailored to address the specific water issues in target communities by focusing on the following areas:

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): RAIN improves access to water and sanitation and promotes improved hygiene behaviors for positive impacts on health and development. Approximately 80 percent of RAIN projects have WASH components.
Watershed Protection: RAIN establishes or enhances sustainable water management practices, improving environmental stewardship and community health.
Productive Use of Water: RAIN promotes efficient and sustainable use of water for economic development.