Back to the Press Room Zaragoza, June 26, 2008 – Today, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the ONE DROP Foundation and its partners, RBC and Oxfam, to undertake a three-year project towards access to safe drinking water in Honduras. This is the first project of the partnership agreement signed between the two organizations last October, in Montreal.
“By investing 300,000 euros in ONE DROP’s Access to Safe Water for the Communities of the Dry Tropics of Honduras project, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation encourages the sustainable and equitable management of water and helps further the local population’s social and economic development—issues that lie at the heart of our program,” said HSH Prince Albert II.
“Our common goal of reducing poverty and vulnerability by providing access to safe water brings us together for the ONE DROP project in Honduras,” explained Guy Laliberté, president of the ONE DROP Foundation. “This project combines social arts—as a tool for raising awareness, educating people and mobilizing them—with a technical approach to accessing, managing and preserving this precious resource in watersheds.”
« We’re proud that the RBC Blue Water Project can help support ONE DROP in delivering such an innovative program in Honduras, » stated Gordon M. Nixon, President and Chief Executive Officer, RBC. « Our grant of CAN$1.5 million will help ONE DROP empower the communities of the Nacaome River Watershed region and we’re looking forward to hearing how the best practices from that program can be used elsewhere. »
Oxfam-Québec will be working on the ground to organize and implement technical sustainability, which includes harvesting rainwater, decontaminating water courses, recovering grey water, installing irrigation systems, agroforestry development, planting family and school gardens, and managing the project’s microcredit fund. “One of our objectives is local capacity building with residents and partners, including the municipal stakeholders in the Valle, Francisco Morazán and Choluteca departments,” stated Pierre Véronneau, Executive Director of Oxfam-Québec.
ONE DROP will be responsible for the design, implementation and follow-up of the social arts component. It will partner with theatre organizations from Canada (Théâtre Parminou and Théâtre de l’Aubergine) and Honduras (Teatro Taller Tegucigalpa and Arte Acción). Inspired by the creative experience of Cirque du Soleil and its international program for street kids, Cirque du Monde, ONE DROP makes use of the circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, music, dance and the visual arts to promote education, community involvement and public awareness of water issues.
ONE DROP Foundation
The mission of the ONE DROP Foundation is to fight poverty around the world by providing access to safe water, today and tomorrow. ONE DROP is located at Cirque du Soleil international headquarters in Montreal.
Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Active in the fields of climate change, biodiversity and water, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is the first international organization to sign a collaboration agreement with ONE DROP.
RBC
The leading financial services company in Canada, RBC employs approximately 70,000 people in 47 countries around the world. The RBC Blue Water Project supports charitable initiatives that foster a culture of water stewardship. RBC is a founding corporate partner of ONE DROP, with a pledge of CAN$10 million over ten years, the largest ever given to a single organization in RBC’s 139-year history.
Oxfam International
The Oxfam International family, through Oxfam-Québec, has been associated with the ONE DROP Foundation since 2005, within the context of a three-year pilot project in Nicaragua. A leader in emergency aid and sustainable development, Oxfam brings expertise in selecting and implementing field projects.
To learn more, please visit www.onedrop.org, www.fpa2.mc, www.rbc.com/bluewater/ and www.oxfam.qc.ca.
Media contacts:
ONE DROP Foundation
Renée-Claude Ménard
Senior Public Relations Director
+1 514 723-7646, ext. 7366
Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Isabelle Peters
Media and Communications
+377.98.98.43.27
RBC Financial Group
Beja Rodeck
Global Media Relations
+1 416 974-5506
Oxfam-Québec/Oxfam International
Justine Lesage
Media Relations
+1 514 513-0013
