March 28, 2018: Gucci and Chime For Change have announced a new partnership with Beyoncé and UNICEF USA to bring clean, safe water to the children of Burundi, known as the “Heart of Africa.”
Through her BeyGOOD philanthropic arm, Beyoncé launched the multi-year BEYGOOD4BURUNDI initiative with UNICEF USA in 2017 to support programs to improve water, sanitation and basic hygiene practices in the hardest-to-reach areas of the East African nation, where nearly half the population had no access to safe water.
The first 35 wells have now been completed, and Gucci’s $1M commitment to the project as a founding partner will help support the building of 80 additional wells, providing access to clean water to more than 120,000 women, girls and their families. The program touches upon the three pillars of Gucci’s CHIME FOR CHANGE campaign – Education, Health and Justice – to create positive change for girls and women around the world.
In Burundi, lack of access to clean, safe water, high rates of chronic malnutrition, and limited access to energy are preventing millions of children from surviving and thriving to meet their full potential. The country is home to one of the world’s youngest populations: 52 percent of the population is under 18. Similarly, women make up 52 percent of the total population.
