PUR helps address the World Health Organization's concern that more than one billion people lack safe water. An estimated two million children die each year because of diarrhoeal diseases, that could be prevented by safe drinking water.

PUR is a simple, low-cost water purifier which has already prevented countless cases of diarrhea by supplying more than 200 million liters of drinking water in emergency situations throughout the world - particularly in Tsunami hit regions, as well as other countries such as Botswana, Chad, Malawi, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

Baignade a la riviere by Willhem Berrouet

So far, PUR sachets have provided more than 7 million liters of safe drinking water to Haiti, which has long suffered from lack of access to clean water, the problem being exacerbated throughout the last year due to civil unrest, severe flooding and heavy damage from hurricanes. This timely grant should reduce the number of Haitians suffering from illnesses such as diarrhea and cholera induced by drinking contaminated water. In this project PUR will be distributed by PSI Haiti through their network of women's groups.

According to P&G's Associate Director for Corporate Sustainable Development in Europe, Dr. Peter White, "We are delighted to have received this grant from DFID to help improve the lives of those in Haiti. With our partners we have made significant progress with PUR and we will continue to focus our efforts in countries where clean water is desperately needed".

Amelia Shaw, PSI Haiti added, "In Gonaives, PSI distributed more than 410,000 sachets following the flooding last September. After using PUR regularly for one month, one woman from the flood zone commented, 'Before, my stomach hurt all the time. But now it doesn't hurt anymore. To think, I didn't even know you could live like that, without pain in your belly."

Welcoming the announcement of the grant, Hilary Benn, UK Secretary of State for International Development, said: "Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly half a million people have lost their homes in the aftermath of the floods in Haiti. Only 10 per cent of Haitians get piped water in their homes so our contribution will help to ensure those affected will now have access to safe drinking water. A water-borne disease such as diarrhea kills nearly half of all infants in rural areas of Haiti, but by working in partnership with P&G Health Science Institute and NGO's, we will give people a better quality of life and hope for the future".

Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Bounty®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Actonel®, Olay®, Clairol Nice 'n Easy®, Head & Shoulders®, and Wella. The P&G community consists of almost 110,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

The PUR Purifier of Water technology was developed in cooperation with the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and has been shown to reduce significantly diarrhoeal illness in the developing world. For more information about PUR Purifier of Water, please visit our website http://www.pghsi.com .

About PSI

Populations Services International (PSI) is a non-profit organisation that combines commercial tools with a social mission of achieving measurable health impact. Since 1972, PSI has used social marketing to improve health and save lives. Through health programmes in more than 70 countries on five continents, PSI distributes affordable, accessible and attractive health products and services, and motivates other types of healthy behaviour, in HIV/AIDS, family planning, malaria, safe water and nutrition. In 2004, PSI's safe water system prevented the deaths of an estimated 40,000 children. For further information, please visit our website at http://www.psi.org

About Business Linkages Challenge Fund

The BLCF supports private sector partnerships that both promote commercial benefits to participating business enterprises and help to reduce poverty. Companies receive funding to increase access to markets, transfer technology, improve competitiveness, or address the policy and regulatory environment for business. It is managed on behalf of DFID by the Emerging Markets Group, an independent firm associated with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, with support from Deloitte offices in BLCF target countries, Enterplan, and Project North East. For further information, please visit our website at http://www.businesslinkageschallengefund.org

For further information please contact:

Greg Allgood, PhD, 513-983-1223