Dubai, United Arab of Emirates – QNET, a prominent Asian e-commerce based direct selling company, highlights the importance of safe water and access to proper sanitation through various activities in Morocco, Senegal, and Algeria in line with the World Water Week.
Commenting on the company’s initiatives, Ms. Malou Caluza, CEO of QNET said, “The past two years have been particularly challenging as COVID-19 continues to place heavy stress on water and sanitation services across the globe – especially in developing communities with limited access to safe water. As a company with operations and customers in many developing economies, we have a duty to advocate for and take efforts to implement sustainable change in our supply chain and operations to improve water services for everyone.”
“This World Water Week, we are proud to advocate for water sustainability and support improved water infrastructure, especially in places majorly affected by water scarcity, such as Africa, the Middle East, and more. QNET has actively supported the World Water Forum and other water-based sustainability initiatives for many years,” Caluza added.
Advocating for water security in Sub-Saharan Africa
QNET participated in the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, which is one of the world’s largest events on water. Organised by the World Water Council, an international multi-stakeholder organisation that mobilises action on critical water issues, this was the first edition of the forum in sub-Saharan Africa and focuses on water security for peace and development on the economic, social, and political levels.
QNET showcased its HomePure Nova water filtration system at the forum. The HomePure Nova is one of QNET’s best-selling products, and the recently launched HomePure Complete Water Line (HPCWL) was one of the highlights of QNET’s exhibition. Stemming from 10 years of research on water quality at QNET, the HPCWL provides filtration of fine sediments (as small as 1 micron) and ensures a stream of safe, nourishing water to customers’ homes.
Previously, QNET’s CSR arm, RYTHM Foundation, had partnered with Water For Africa (WFA) to provide clean water in rural Tanzania. With support from RYTHM Foundation, the project provided access to a fixed water supply to a community of over 6,000 people in the Tanzania’s Iringa region.
Spreading awareness on water sustainability in the Middle East and North Africa region
QNET partnered with Dubai’s leading radio stations (Al Rabia, Radio Mirchi, and Gold FM) to launch a social awareness campaign to encourage sustainable, conscious living. The campaign aims to promote the use of reusable water bottles, raise awareness on safe water and sanitation efforts, and encourage communities to utilise water stations in everyday spaces.
Whereas in Morocco, QNET conducted a workshop and tree-planting exercise with child social service NGO, Bab Rayan, to educate a group of 70 children on the importance of water sustainability in the face of climate change. QNET also donated two HomePure Nova water filtration systems to the children’s school in Casablanca to provide them with safe and healthy drinking water.
Healthy forests are also critical to providing clean water – forests can regulate supply and the quality of water through a complex ecological system. Playing its part to protect the ecological system and contribute to sustainable water sources in Algeria, QNET has teamed up with humanitarian group, Ness El Khir, and environmental group, La Voix de la Nature (The Voice of Nature) on a tree-planting operation in the forest of Boghni, in the province of Tizi Ouzou in Algeria. The project aims to plant 500 trees (comprising olive trees, pomegranate trees, and fig trees) to revivify the Algerian forest, which was devastated by wildfires last summer.
In the past, QNET has also been involved with the Arab Water Council’s Arab Water Forum 2021, and Egypt’s Cairo Water Week. These events focused on water challenges that the Arab region is facing, being one of the most water-scarce regions in the world.
Using digital platforms for global impact
QNET is also conducting a #WaterSourceChallenge on social media in conjunction with World Water Week. Participants are tasked to take a photo or video of their water sources (such as a stream, water tap, sea, or lake) with the hashtag to advocate the importance of clean water sources and water sustainability issues. QNET organised a similar challenge during last year’s World Water Week, #BottleSelfieChallenge, garnering over 300 participants who pledged to switch out single-use bottles for reusable ones. The campaign helped save almost 32,000 litres of water in producing these bottled drinks.
QNET’s commitment to providing safe and healthy water
“The vulnerability of water and sanitation services first came to our attention when we were looking into expanding our product portfolio more than a decade ago and launched our first water filtration system under the HomePure brand.” Caluza further explains. “We realised that converting water into clean supply is costly for many communities, and bottled water is extremely expensive.
“This is why QNET’s water filtration system, the HomePure Nova, operates without a power source, enabling users to reap the benefits of a world-class, NSF-certified filtration system while remaining cost-efficient and environmentally friendly,” Caluza said. “We’ve donated multiple units of HomePure Nova to communities that lack access to a safe and sustainable water source. For example, at the peak of the pandemic, QNET stepped up to donate HomePure Nova water filters to universities and hospitals in Casablanca, Morocco, and City Hospital in Kazakhstan, as part of its COVID-19 relief projects that spanned over 30 countries.”
In addition to supporting projects that help provide safe drinking water to all, QNET focuses on addressing the climate crisis through its sustainability initiative, Green Legacy. In collaboration with Certified B Corporation, EcoMatcher, QNET launched the first phase of this initiative in 2021 by planting 3,000 trees in Kenya, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. By the end of 2022, QNET aims to plant at least 10,000 trees and further ramp up efforts to champion sustainable practices across the organisation.
About QNET
QNET is one of Asia’s leading e-commerce based direct selling companies offering a wide range of health, wellness and lifestyle products that enable people to lead better lives. QNET’s grass-roots business model fueled by the power of e-commerce has helped empower millions of entrepreneurs in more than 100 countries worldwide.
QNET is headquartered in Hong Kong and has a presence in more than 25 countries around the world through subsidiaries, branch offices, agency partnerships, and franchisees. QNET is a member of the Direct Selling Association in several countries, as well as the Hong Kong Health Food Association and the Health Supplements Industry Association of Singapore, among others.
QNET is also active in sports sponsorships around the world. Some of the more prominent partnerships include being the Direct Selling Partner of Manchester City Football Club and the African Club League Championships of CAF.
For more information, please visit QNET’s website at www.qnet.net.
*Source: AETOSWire
