SCA & SOS provide better hygiene facilities in Madagascar
February 27, 2015 - Sweden
Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), one of the leading global hygiene and forest products companies based in Sweden, along with a partnership with SOS Children’s Villages France, a global federation of associations working towards child care, has helped more than 6,000 households to get better access to clean water and hygiene facilities in Madagascar, from 2010 to 2014.
The initiative was sponsored by SCA’s Lotus brand where each sold pack equalled one hygiene access. SCA and SOS Children’s Villages have been building infrastructure such as fountains, showers, toilets, and laundries allowing over 6,000 households to improve hygiene and health standards, SCA said in a statement.
SCA’s partnership with SOS Children’s Villages also included an education program – focusing on the importance of proper hygiene, in collaboration with the neighbourhood health committees and other local associations.
Sylvie Gicquel, brand manager from SCA said, “From my point of view, the most valuable outcome of our partnership with SOS Children’s Villages has been to restore the dignity of people – and especially women – which they were deprived until the building of toilets. The partnership has been adding value for 30,000 people and their communities and has fitted perfectly with Lotus brand values and with SCA’s sustainability ambitions of caring for people and nature.”
Going forward, a long-term plan together with local water committees has also been set up to guarantee maintenance and management of the hygiene facilities.
SCA, headquartered in Stockholm, is one of the leading consumer goods, pulp, and paper manufacturing companies. With approximately 36,000 employees, its main products include personal care product publication papers, solid-wood products, and forest-based bio-fuel. (GK)