Steps that need to be taken to provide clean and safe water for haiti

This project idea was inspired by Cotton On Foundation. Cotton On is a clothing brand which has a purpose of making a positive change in the lives of people. It trains farmers and sets ups farms for farmers in Kenya as there are little agricultural yields in Kenya. This helps them to earn extra income to survive. Cotton On also aims to provide 20, 000 educational places by the year 2020. It sells tote bags, mints, wrist wear and tissues to help raise funds for the many projects that they are involved in. All proceeds from these sellings go to the projects that they are supporting. Therefore, we have decided to do something similar and have the idea of selling Evian water bottles and using the funds collected from it to provide clean water to other countries with no proper access to water. Inspired by Cotton On, our group wanted to help people in need in a unique way, that most people might not be willing to do, which is to provide countries with no access to clean water, with potable water.

Mission

The mission of this project is to provide clean and safe drinking water for Haiti as they do not have access to potable water.

Goals

All of Haiti to have clean water by 2028. By 2050, this project will reach out to other countries that require it as well. Raise enough funds to be able to transport water to Haiti Water pipelines to be built by 2028

Objectives

Get approval to work with Evian and Starbucks Partner with Evian to sell mineral water at booths in USS Collaborate with Starbucks to sell limited-edition tumblers in the USS Stores and Starbucks located in USS. Do a survey to gather volunteers. (Refer to appendix- Figure 1) Come up with advertising strategies to promote this project.

How the project meets the real needs of the community

Based on our research, we find that the water contamination issue in Haiti has become so deadly that about 9, 000 Haitians were killed in 2010 since the first break out of Cholera in 2010. Moreover, the 7. 0 magnitude that struck the country in 2010 has caused further damage to the wells and water system which were the only source of drinkable water the locals relied on. Having said that, we hope to turn the situation around and impact the lives of the locals in Haiti who do not have access to clean and treated water through our clean water initiative. Clean water is essential to human lives for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, It gives new mums the best chance of survival and gives everyone a fighting chance of avoiding waterborne diseases. Secondly, it improves sanitation and hygiene. When people shower with clean water, they are killing off the germs and harmful bacteria that have been clinging onto their skin for a long period of time.

Short Term & Long Term Goals and how these goals are achieved

In the short-term, we plan to gather a minimum sum of money to be able to afford enough clean water required to send to at least one quarter of Haiti in the beginning. In order to earn profits to be able to purchase the clean water, we must set a deadline for customers to buy the water bottles, other souvenirs and products that we will be selling at USS. A minimum amount of money is required to kickstart the project to ensure that the project can run smoothly in the long-run without having to worry about insufficient funds. After bringing the gallons of water to Haiti, we plan on transferring the water from the gallons into trucks so that the trucks can be used to deliver the water to the people in different areas. An example would be that the trucks would have a certain point that they would be at, at a certain time, and people would then be able to queue up to collect water from these trucks. However, because there would not be sufficient water for everyone, it is advisable to only allow them to take about two to three pails of water a day so that it is fair to everyone to have a fair share.

In the long-term, we plan on building pipelines and waterworks for the entire nation of Haiti to be able to receive river water that is chemically treated. This can be achieved by installing pipelines from the rivers to their homes and adding water filtration systems before the water is sucked into the pipelines and sent to the homes of citizens. The water filtration process that we plan on adapting is the one that the Public Utilities Board (PUB) uses in the reservoir. Singapore’s tap water falls in the safe zone in the World Health Organization’s guidelines, therefore, if the process is used to treat the river waters in Haiti, it would definitely be safe for consumption.(Refer to appendix- Figure 2) An example of a waterworks would be the “ Choa Chu Kang Waterworks” that is located here in Singapore. It uses activated carbon and other chemicals to treat water which makes it suitable and safe for consumption. This is classified under long-term as it would take around 10 years for the Haiti government to approve of this idea, for enough funds to be raised and to confirm and check that the water filtration systems are in perfectly working conditions so that it would be safe for consumption.

Knowledge, skills and other resources needed to develop/promote the project

Knowledge on Universal Studios Singapore

Ever since the opening of the park on 28 May 2011, Universal Studios Singapore (USS) has welcomed more than 25 million visitors, both locally and globally. According to Singapore Tourism Board’s Annual Report for the year 2016/2017, USS has won the following awards: No. 1 Attraction in Asia, No. 17 Attraction in the World, Top Amusement Park in Asia, and Best Theme Park. (Refer to appendix- Figure 3) It is Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park with 24 rides, shows and attractions, USS is able to cater to various age groups, making it rise to its fame.

Knowledge on Haiti

Haiti was once colonized by France in the 17th century. Even though Haiti gained independence from France in 1804, the locals still adopted French as their primary language. They never had clean water to begin with, and the conditions began to deteriorate ever since the earthquake in 2010 as the wells and water systems which were essential sources of water were badly damaged. Currently, about 40% of its 10 million population do not have access to clean water, and nearly half of the hospitals in the country lack either drinking water or sanitation. This is a serious issue as water is a fundamental human need (“ 2016 Hurricane Matthew: Facts, FAQs, and how to help”, 2018). About 1. 8 million people die each year due to diseases such as cholera, chronic diarrhoea and typhoid caused by contaminated water. Contaminated water is one of the leading causes of childhood illness and the high infant death rates in Haiti (57 for every 1000 births).

Knowledge on Evian

Evian is a mineral water brand managed by Danone, a French multinational corporation. Portrayed as a luxury and expensive brand, it was founded in 1859. Sold in more than 140 countries, it is the number one worldwide leader of natural mineral water (“ evian mineral water – Danone”, 2018). Evian bottles are 100% recyclable and contain on average across the range of 25% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET). PET is an inert plastic material, unalterable and perfectly neutral, and these properties allows the bottles to retain all the qualities of evian natural mineral water and allows the manufacture of lightweight packaging. It is the first company that decided to go from PVC to PET. By 2025, Evian aims to achieve the goal of making its bottles out of 100% recycled plastic by using a circular approach to plastic usage and seeking to no longer use virgin oil-based plastic as oil is a finite resource.

Knowledge on Starbucks

First founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971, Starbucks is an American coffee company and coffeehouse chain. Their mission is to “ inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time”. As of June 2018, Starbucks has 28, 916 stores all around the world, with 140 stores in Singapore, providing convenience for all as they are easily accessible. Starbucks offers a range of products that consumers can enjoy anywhere, anytime. They offer more than 30 blends and single-origin premium coffees, handcrafted beverages such as fresh-brewed coffee, and fresh food such as baked pastries.

Resources Required:

• Funds from the merchandise and mineral water sold to support the cause
• Manpower
• Evian Mineral Water
• Starbucks Tumblers
• Other souvenirs that will raise funds
• Materials for pipelines

Skills Required:

Volunteers are required to have some basic knowledge on Haiti and should learn basic French to be able to communicate with the locals so that they can explain to the locals about what they are doing. Volunteers should also learn to adapt to the environment changes around them in Haiti compared to Singapore as the environment in Haiti would seem a lot more different compared to Singapore. It is also essential for volunteers to know how to work in a team as there would be a lot of people who would be involved in the planning and execution of this project and they must all communicate with each other and solve any arguments that comes in the way, to ensure that this project becomes a success.

How the hospitality establishment can work with various hospitality partners

Evian

USS (Universal Studios Singapore) can partner with Evian to sell mineral water in USS. the bottles will be biodegradable as we are making a conscious effort to fight against environmental pollution and conserve the marine life in the country. We can also collaborate to sell limited edition tumblers that can only be bought at USS. Through this, we can encourage and educate consumers to be more eco-friendly and save the environment. In order to encourage consumers to buy our tumblers, we will be introducing the price bundling strategy where we will be combining the tumbler as well as the water bottle into a single comprehensive package for an all-inclusive reduced price. For every bottle that is sold, $1 will go to the project. For every tumbler that’s sold, $2 will go to the project.

For many years, Evian’s mission is to inspire people towards healthier hydration. This is in line with our goal to provide access to clean and potable water in third world countries as majority of the population in these countries are struggling with water contamination issues and in turn, contract waterborne diseases which may be fatal to their health. Therefore, Universal Studios Singapore should start selling Evian mineral water within the theme park in which a percentage of the proceeds collected will go towards donating water supplies to the community in Haiti and building water pipelines across the island to allow them access to clean water for consumption and sanitation. Apart from that, USS and Evian can collaborate in making and selling limited edition tumblers specially designed to support the cause. This will be part of our environmental practices to encourage tourists and locals eliminate plastic waste around the theme park. These tumblers will be introduced through a price bundling strategy in which we will be combining them along with the mineral water into a single comprehensive package for an all-inclusive reduced price.

This will benefit both USS and Evian as their companies will both be greatly advertised and promoted to different and more parts of the world as this project becomes more successful. Hence, the more this project is being promoted throughout the world, the more well-known USS and Evian will be. This would help these companies to receive greater revenue as more consumers would visit USS as well as purchase water from Evian.

Starbucks

Starbucks is another established and well-recognized company that sells varieties of coffees and teas, as well as other beverages and food products. According to the company’s statement on its website, “ Our comprehensive approach to reducing our environmental impact means looking at all aspects of our business, how they intersect and how we can integrate new solutions to create meaningful and sustained change.” tells us that they take a serious view on the environment. Amongst some of their methods used in practicing environmental sustainability, providing greener energy is one of the few that attracts our attraction and is in line with our mission as the company focuses on conserving the energy and water used to reduce the environmental footprint of their operations and help ensure access to clean water in coffee-growing communities. By partnering with Starbucks, through selling Universal Studios themed mugs and tumblers from the company, we will both be able to reap profits and donate a percentage of the sum to bring us a step closer in providing clean and fresh water for Haiti.

This partnership will be beneficial for both USS and Starbucks as they are able to communicate their brands to a larger target market and hence, build their presence, visibility and reputation as socially responsible companies. Having said that, more people will start patronising these businesses and hence both companies will be able to generate more revenue.