18 Feb 2021
Clean drinking water for families affected by hurricanes in Guatemala
In late 2020, Guatemala was hit by two hurricanes and the associated heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding. Many water supply pipelines and reservoirs suffered severe damage and some areas of the country have become almost inaccessible. Health authorities are particularly concerned about the welfare of young children, because the shortage of clean drinking water is increasing the risk of infection and diarrhoea.
Donation ecofilters
In January this year, to support some of the families affected, Rijk Zwaan Guatemala donated 300 ecofilters which can be used to filter water and turn it into drinking water. Edgar Gramajo, director at Rijk Zwaan Guatemala, and Diana López, CSR coordinator at Rijk Zwaan Guatemala, were involved. “We are delighted to be able to contribute to the aid efforts by donating these ecofilters which will give families access to safe drinking water,” comments Edgar Gramajo.
Urgent health needs
The ecofilters were sent to Nebaj, a community in the Quiché region located 245 kilometres west of Guatemala City, where more than 70% of the population live below the poverty line. For this initiative, Rijk Zwaan Guatemala contacted the World Health Organization (WHO), which helped to identify the urgent health needs.
CSR at Rijk Zwaan
Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a natural part of Rijk Zwaan; you could say it is in our genes. We firmly believe that our specific knowledge and techniques relating to vegetable seeds enable us to contribute to a healthy future. By targeting our breeding activities to develop more robust and resilient varieties with better resistances, higher yields and a longer shelf life, we support the more sustainable and efficient production and processing of vegetables. To improve the accessibility and availability of fresh nutritious vegetables for people all over the world, we collaborate with countless partners in the food chain. In our everyday work, we contribute to a better world through the things we do and the way we treat people. This is how we give meaning to our mission of ‘Sharing a healthy future’. Read more about our CSR initiatives.