KT&G Provides 'Right to Drink Clean Water' to Tanzanian Children... Supports 1,300 Water Purifiers

KT&G held an "Eco-friendly Water Purification Device Delivery Ceremony" on the 15th at 'ITUNDU' Elementary School in the Tabora region of Tanzania. The photo shows a local student using the supplies supported by KT&G. Photo by KT&G

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] KT&G announced on the 16th that it will support 1,300 eco-friendly water purification devices at local elementary schools in Tanzania, a country that imports raw tobacco leaves, to provide children with the "right to drink clean water."

Tanzania is a "water famine" country suffering from chronic water shortages, resulting in low growth and deteriorating public health. Thirty-nine percent of the population does not have access to safe water and relies mainly on rainwater and puddles as their primary drinking water sources. This causes waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, leading to serious social problems like high infant mortality rates.

To improve Tanzania's water sanitation issues, KT&G is providing 1,300 eco-friendly water purification devices worth approximately 240 million KRW. Through this, up to 340 million liters of clean purified water annually will be available for about 260,000 students to drink. This support replaces the traditional water purification method of heating water by burning fuel such as wood and charcoal, contributing to environmental protection by reducing carbon emissions by up to 13,000 tons annually.

On the 15th, KT&G held a delivery ceremony at ITUNDU Elementary School in the Tabora region of Tanzania, the target of this support, attended by Seonghoon Jeong, head of KT&G's Tanzania raw materials branch, and local officials. The supplied items were manufactured domestically and are scheduled to be fully delivered locally by March next year.

The products supplied by KT&G are gravity filter water purifiers from the domestic social venture "Water & Life." These devices operate using gravity filters, requiring no electricity or additional consumables, and efficiently remove waterborne pathogens such as E. coli and particulate contaminants with simple operation.

As KT&G's overseas business expands, it is fulfilling its social responsibilities as a global corporate citizen by participating in solving social issues such as education, housing, and environment in major business entry countries and underdeveloped nations. It practices the management philosophy of a "company that grows together" through customized global CSR activities considering each country's circumstances, including vocational training centers in Indonesia, agro-livestock education centers in Mongolia, and school construction in Laos.

Youngah Shim, head of KT&G's Social Contribution Office, stated, "We are participating in solving social problems in countries in need with the attitude of a global corporate citizen," adding, "We plan to establish an ESG management system that meets global standards by maximizing non-financial performance such as environment, society, and governance in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.