Beko and Water.org have provided clean water and sanitation to over 10,000 Kenyans

As one of the supporters of the UN CEO Water Mandate platform and also one of the first participants in Forward Faster, Beko partnered with water.org in the last quarter of 2022 in support of a social responsibility program to provide more than ten thousand Kenyans with access to clean water and sanitation solutions. Under this program, which continued until September 2024, Beko-supplied funding was used by water.org and its local partner the Association of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI) to develop solutions for making clean water and sanitation accessible to people living in areas where both were lacking or inadequate. This was achieved largely by promoting microcredits as a form of small-scale project finance. Another aim of the project was to have a positive impact on isolated communities living in remote parts of the country. By the time the project had run its course, Beko had successfully given 10,236 people in these regions access to clean water and/or sanitation solutions.

Many millions still lack clean water and sanitation

It’s thought that there are still nearly two billion people without access to clean water and perhaps three and a half billion living without access to proper sanitation across the world today. Within the overall framework of this global picture, Kenya is probably one of the most vulnerable examples of countries suffering from water stress. Overall, only 59% of Kenya’s population has access to basic water services and just 29% to basic sanitation services; in rural areas the situation is even more dire because only about 14% of such households even have access to a freshwater tap. What’s more, climate change is making the situation in Kenya even more challenging because disruption of precipitation patterns and prolonged dry spells threaten not just water-resource continuity but also public health and local economies. Noting that inadequate access to clean water and sanitation adversely impacts workforce availability and makes it necessary to spend more on public health, the World Bank says that investments in both clean water and sanitation generate disproportionately higher returns due to their across-the-board economic impact. The involvement of systematic institutional support in the process reduces water-borne diseases and generates long-term economic benefit and for this reason it’s seen as critically important for the private sector to work together with governmental and civil-society organizations in coming up with solutions.

SDG 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”

As the successors to the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) lay out a global plan for achieving “peace and prosperity for people and the planet” by 2030 by focusing on seventeen aspects of sustainable development. One of these goals (SDG 6) is “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Broadly speaking, this goal recognizes the accessibility and sustainability of water and sanitation management as one of the most critical components of overall social and economic sustainability and holds that providing that access and sustainably managing water resources are not just a way of providing clean drinking water and sanitary living conditions but also as being fundamentally important to ecosystems, economies, and social wellbeing. In this respect, Beko’s partnership with water.org is an important example of the concrete benefits that implementation of SDG 6 can have at the local level.
 
Koç Holding’s approach to water leadership

In line with its Water Leadership Approach, Koç Holding sets and implements targets for operational efficiency, recycling, and water quality. While supporting solutions to problems related to watershed health, water quality, and access to clean water in the territories in which it has operations, Koç Holding also identifies and supports opportunities for the sustainable management of water resources across its value chain. Koç Holding also supports ecosystem stakeholders who are developing water-related solutions by investing in innovation and technology.

Beko Sustainability Director Özlem Ünlüer: “A mom who use to struggle to fetch water now has more time for her kids”



We spoke with Beko Sustainability Director Özlem Ünlüer about the scope, impact, and life-changing results of the company’s project in Kenya.

What can you tell us about the scope and details of this project?

Beginning in the last quarter of 2022, Beko partnered with water.org on a project in Kenya. Our goal was to reach communities that lacked access to clean water and sanitation solutions. For this project, water.org helped facilitate the provision of micro-loans through the local Association of Microfinance Institutions (AMFI) Kenya. These micro-loans allowed individuals to access solutions like water tanks and water treatment systems. In the course of this project, we directly and beneficially impacted the lives of 10,236 people. This number is more than just a statistic: every single person represents a unique story of hope and transformation. To put it into perspective: a mom who use to struggle to fetch water now has more time for her kids; a farmer can protect their crops during droughts; and an entrepreneur can expand their business thanks to water reliability. This transformation goes deeper than just infrastructure: it has created an impact that touches the very lives of these individuals.

What were the key factors that determined the success of the project’s planning and implementation? What would you say was this project’s greatest strength?

For the project’s planning, the most important factor was correctly analyzing local needs. In Kenya, the challenge of getting access to water is not just about infrastructure shortcomings: it’s a complex, multi-faceted issue that includes financial barriers, lack of public knowledge, and even climate change. For this reason, working with local partners and offering microfinance solutions was a critical strategy. The strongest aspect of the project was that it empowered communities to create their own solutions. Micro-loans allowed individuals to install systems tailored to their specific needs. This method delivered transformation from within rather than through external intervention. The project’s success was also bolstered by its social impact, including the economic empowerment of women and young people, and by the boost it gave to community resilience and solidarity.

How would you assess the tangible impact of this project on local communities?

The most tangible impact we’ve seen in local communities is the improvement in public and individual health and the gains in available time. Water availability is something that directly impacts people’s day-to-day lives. Instead of spending hours fetching water, people now have more time for working, for schooling, and for taking care of their families. For example a farmer who raises more crops and increases his earnings by harvesting rainwater; an entrepreneur who installs a water tank and is able to supply the needs of her tenants as well as her own family; teachers who can provide their charges with a healthier learning environment because the school’s improved everyone’s hygiene conditions. We also observed societal benefits as water access improved, such as a reduction in infectious diseases, an increase in school attendance rates among children, and greater participation of women in economic activities. These effects demonstrate that the project delivered a sustainable transformation not just at the individual but also at the community level.

How does this project carried out with water.org fit into Beko’s sustainability strategy and United Nations SDG 6  “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” objective?

We undertook this project with the aim of generating an impact that fosters sustainable living, which is in line with Beko’s core purpose: “Inspiring Sustainable Living in Every Home.” The project is also consistent with Beko’s “Respecting The World, Respected Worldwide” vision. That’s because Beko’s vision entails not just environmental responsibility but also the company’s goal of being a brand that commands global respect. Carried out in remote areas of a country like Kenya where access to water is limited, this project is both an indication of our respect for our planet and a concrete example of our efforts to create a positive impact that touches communities’ lives so as to be worthy of that respect. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 calls for providing everyone access to clean water and sanitation. When undertaking this Kenya project, our aim was to contribute towards realization of that goal and to be in the forefront of efforts to combat climate change and create a positive social impact in line with Koç Holding’s “Lead. Together.” strategy. Water availability is ultimately associated with and dependent on combating climate change. For countries that suffer from water stress as Kenya does, projects like this are critically important to social as well as environmental sustainability. This Beko-water.org collaboration not only helps contribute towards realization of SDG 6 but also materially supports fulfillment of the Koç Group’s vision of transitioning to a low-carbon economy. The environmental and social sensitivity, the mutual respect and empathy, the passion for shared growth, and the pride taken in success that are core elements of Beko’s corporate values all manifested themselves in real terms in this project.