Splash out on a Wateraid bikini from H&M and help change lives
WaterAid, the UK Charity of the Year, has teamed up with high street fashion store H&M to design a bright new bikini that will help change the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.
The water-themed bikini will be on sale in H&M stores across 19 countries from April 2004. Buying a WaterAid bikini will help transform the lives of women and their families in the world’s poorest countries, by raising vital funds to provide them with clean water and sanitation. 10 per cent of the retail price will go directly to WaterAid to help fund projects in Africa and Asia. H&M have also designed co-ordinating flip flops, a toiletries bag, a hairbrush and a mirror for a complete holiday kit.
"When WaterAid contacted us with the idea that we should design a bikini and donate 10 per cent of the sales to their water project in Bangladesh we liked the idea since we value these questions highly and since we have production in the country. It feels good for us to be able to give something in return to a country where we make a part of our fashion", says Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at H&M, Ingrid Schullström.
"Clean water and sanitation are vital to reducing poverty in the developing world", says Emily Boyd-Carpenter, WaterAid’s Fundraising Manager in charge of the H&M campaign. "Without these basic human rights, people will never get out of the poverty trap – women and children have to spend their time walking miles every day to collect dirty water so children miss out on school and women don’t have time to do any other work. The water they collect is normally full of disease – a child dies every 15 seconds from water-related illness, the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day."
"For around the same price as the bikini, WaterAid can provide a person in the developing world with a lifetime’s supply of clean water. This makes the world of difference. Lives are transformed as women have time to earn money and children have time to go to school and get an education."
This is the third year of a successful partnership between WaterAid and H&M. Last year the WaterAid bikini raised over £36,000, enough to provide safe clean water and sanitation to 2,400 people. WaterAid hopes this year’s bikini will bring in even more funds and help thousands more people take the first steps out of poverty.
You can download press pictures from www.hm.com.