Atlas Copco Provides Fresh Drinking Water to Navajo Nation Through Can’d Aid
Atlas Copco USA’s employee-driven Water for All program launches its second round of COVID-19 relief, supporting the distribution of fresh drinking water to Navajo Nation. Atlas Copco will provide $25,000 to Can’d Aid, enabling the organization to deliver more than 50,000 cans of fresh drinking water to the area.
Navajo Nation is an American-Indian territory covering approximately 17,544,500 acres, occupying portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. With more than 180,000 people living in the land, and with fewer than a dozen grocery stores, Navajo Nation continues to struggle to find ways to supply residents with water.
The June fulfillment will be distributed to the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Whiteriver, Arizona. In April 2020, Atlas Copco also supported Can’d Aid with a $25,000 donation to Food Bank of the Rockies with canned water as part of their community outreach.
Paul Humphreys, vice-president of communications for Atlas Copco North America, stated, “The fact we can support this project bears testament to the generosity of our employees and the support they have given to Water for All over the last decade. The great work our partner Can’d Aid is doing in the United States does not go unnoticed, and the speed and agility in which they can move to support projects is truly inspiring.”
2020 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Water for All organization in the U.S. The program originally started in Sweden in 1984. Through the dedicated and passionate work of volunteering employees at Atlas Copco, Water for All funds projects all around the world, providing access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. For every dollar an employee donates, the company adds another two dollars, making a double match.
Many projects are supported to bring access to clean drinking water to parts of the world where people and communities have never been afforded that luxury. The committee also provides funding to support water-focused programs during times of local and regional crises — such as the COVID-19 outbreak.
Atlas Copco’s Water for All organization has previously supported the self-sustainability of Navajo Nation. In April 2017, they supported a program to build a new water treatment plant.