WASHINGTON, December 15, 2020 /3BL Media/ – Global Water Challenge (GWC) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) announced US$1.28MM in new grantmaking from their ongoing partnership to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Eurasia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The catalytic partnership, entitled the New World Program (NWP), is designed to advance progress on the SDGs, particularly in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); youth and women’s empowerment; and waste management and recycling sectors.

NWP partners selected for this 6^th Cycle of the program include high impact organizations in ten countries: Azerbaijan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine. Selected partners are supporting a variety of community projects, including the establishment of a small-scale urban recycling plant, extending water connections to peri-urban households, and restoring natural areas to enhance ecosystem services.

“The Coca-Cola Foundation is proud to support the advancement of the SDGs through the New World Program. GWC and our New World partners are having a transformative impact through 100 community projects in 26 countries to date,” said Bea Perez, Chair and President of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “This program drives impact for our focus on People, Communities, and the Environment.”

“These timely investments will build more resilient communities in regions of high need,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge. “GWC is pleased to partner with The Coca-Cola Foundation on this high impact program, so desperately needed this year in particular due to the global pandemic.”

Examples of New World’s high impact programming in this cycle include:

• Ethiopia – With Imagine1day, the New World Program is working to improve WASH access for eight Ethiopian schools and communities, reaching over 12,000 people, including more than 2,500 women and youth. The project will also improve the target communities’ knowledge of best WASH practices by establishing and training enterprises to manage clean water infrastructure and will create and train WASH clubs to advocate for improved WASH practices in the target schools.

• Georgia – In partnership with the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), the New World Program will improve WASH access for 5,000 people in rural communities in Georgia through women and youth-led WASH projects. The project will build the capacity of community institutions, empower local women and youth to take a leading role in climate-smart water resources management, and improve the community’s access to WASH services.

• Pakistan – In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan, the New World Program will construct a small-scale recycling plant in urban Islamabad, improving waste management and collection for over 10,000 people. This project will collect and recycle over 3,000 metric tons of waste, build the capacity of the waste and recycling sector, and economically empower community members through job creation.

The New World Program was established in 2014. Since its inception, The Coca-Cola Foundation has invested more than US$12.7MM to advance the SDGs in 26 countries. These investments are expected to reach over 600,000 people with improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, 100,000 women and girls with empowerment activities, and over 3,000 metric tons of waste collected and recycled.

A complete listing of partners who are receiving grants under New World’s 6^th Cycle include:

• Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (Georgia)
• CSR Nest Association (Romania)
• Debate in Civil Society Public Union (Azerbaijan)
• Doğa Koruma Merkezi (Turkey)
• Imagine1day (Ethiopia)
• Misr El Kheir Foundation (Egypt)
• RecyclePoints (Nigeria)
• Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Birds (USPB)
• United Nations Development Programme (Pakistan)
• World Wildlife Fund Russia (Kazakhstan)

Contact:

Madeline Flamik,
Women’s Empowerment Portfolio Manager,
madeline.flamik@getf.org,
+1 (703) 939-8235