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The Stockholm International Water Institute has awarded the 2005 Stockholm Industry Water Award for innovation in water treatment to Procter & Gamble (P&G) for its product PuR Purifier of Water, which PSI markets in Haiti and Uganda. "Through its PuR product, P&G has been an extraordinary partner, in working with PSI, to reach into areas where economic and infrastructure models would not allow a commercial model to be sustained. P&G's work to make this product available at the lowest possible cost set a potent example of good corporate citizenship," says PSI Vice President and Director of Maternal and Child Health Sally Cowal. PuR packets contain powder that when mixed with water remove pathogens and cause particles to settle to the bottom of the mixing container. Point-of-use water treatment approaches like PuR have shown reductions of 30-50% in diarrhea disease, with even higher reductions during water-borne epidemics. In Haiti, where PSI markets PuR, diarrhea is the leading cause of death among children ages 1-11 months and the second leading cause of death among children ages 12-59 months. Days after the massive flooding and earthquakes in 2004 that destroyed the northern city of Gonaives, PSI/Haiti distributed PuR free in order to prevent diarrhea diseases in children under five. In Uganda, research conducted in 2001 found that diarrhea was responsible for 20% of under-5 morbidity and mortality. A critical component of PSI/Uganda's program is the training of Ugandan nurses and midwives so that they, in turn, may educate other health providers and their local communities. P&G also works with additional partners: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UNICEF, CARE, AmeriCares, Johns Hopkins University, Samaritan's Purse and the International Council of Nurses. The Stockholm Industry Water Award recognizes corporate development of water and wastewater process technologies, including contributions to environmental improvement, new products and other significant achievements by businesses and industries that improve world's water disparities.
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