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Increasing Access to Clean Water in India Through Contributions to "Support My School" Campaign

Access to clean water is a growing global challenge as rapid population growth, urbanization and industrialization strain existing resources.  More than 1 billion people – almost one-seventh of all humanity – lack access to safe water.  Unsafe and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene cause approximately 3.1 percent of all deaths. 

Merck is committed to doing its part to help address this global challenge. 

One place we're helping is in India, where Merck has joined the Support My School campaign to increase access to clean water and sanitation facilities for school children. The program aims to improve child health, school attendance and educational attainment.

Through this campaign, The Merck Company Foundation is supporting water, sanitation and hygiene improvements in eight schools in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, one of India's most populated states and among the worst in water and sanitation health.

Fewer than half of  India's schools have adequate sanitation facilities for both boys and girls.  Water- and sanitation-related diseases are a leading cause of death for children in India, causing more than 1,000 deaths per day from sanitation-related diseases in children under the age of five. 

Merck's mission is to help the world be well. Clean water is at the foundation of this promise and aligned with Merck's corporate responsibility approach to tackle the world’s biggest health challenges by discovering better ways to make a difference in everything we do. Through our policies and actions, we are committed to doing our part to help address the global water challenge.

Merck joins Coca-Cola India, Global Water Challenge, H2O for Life and New Delhi Television (NDTV) as a major contributor to the Support My School campaign.

The Support My School campaign is expected to directly impact at least 50,000 students in 100 schools across India.  Each of these schools will receive improved access to water, gender-specific sanitation facilities, infrastructure for water conservation and rainwater harvesting, landscape improvement, library construction, teacher training and new sports facilities.

Read more about Merck's commitment to global water health and conservation.

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