Decanter has been supporting WaterAid for the last three years, providing life-changing access to safe water and sanitation for over 8,300 people, through the 'Wine into Water' initiative.
To date, Decanter has raised over £125,000 for WaterAid's projects, supporting communities in Burkina Faso, and more recently, in Madagascar.
Decanter's current WaterAid project: Madagascar
In 2007, Decanter started fundraising for a three-year WaterAid project in Madagascar. Desperately in need of help to improve its water supply and develop sanitation systems, Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. 70% of the Malagasy population live below the poverty line and the majority are dependent on subsistence farming.
WaterAid's work in Madagascar is concentrated around two very important phases – helping communities to set up, operate and maintain water and sanitation facilities and educating the Malagasy people on good hygiene practices. The facilities use low cost technologies that are appropriate to local conditions and the hygiene education is crucial as it maximises the practical effects and health benefits of these facilities.
£8 pays the daily wage for a health worker to provide hygiene education for 200 people in a rural community
£15 pays for the construction of one latrine slab for a rural family
£167 pays for one rope pump which can provide water for 200 people>
How Decanter raises money for WaterAid
Wine producers from all over the world enter their wine to be judged in the annual Decanter World Wine Awards. For each wine entered into the competition, a producer is asked to send four bottles, in case of corked, or oxidised, wine and breakages. All bottles remaining after the judging has been completed are sold to raise money for WaterAid. Many of the bottles are sold through Christie's as part of their prestigious Fine Wine Auctions, with all proceeds from the sales going to WaterAid. Other bottles are sold in Decanter's own charity sales.
Last year, wine left over from the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards raised an enormous £53,198.59. This money will go towards sponsoring Decanter's new WaterAid project in Madagascar.
To find out more about WaterAid, please visit www.wateraid.org. If you would like any further information about Decanter's partnership with WaterAid, please email: christabel_cairns@decanter.com.
Decanter has been supporting WaterAid for the last three years, providing life-changing access to safe water and sanitation for over 8,300 people, through the 'Wine into Water' initiative.
Madagascar statistics:
Wine producers from all over the world enter their wine to be judged in the annual Decanter World Wine Awards. For each wine entered into the competition, a producer is asked to send four bottles, in case of corked, or oxidised, wine and breakages. All bottles remaining after the judging has been completed are sold to raise money for WaterAid. Many of the bottles are sold through Christie's as part of their prestigious Fine Wine Auctions, with all proceeds from the sales going to WaterAid. Other bottles are sold in Decanter's own charity sales.
