Procter & Gamble, also known as P&G, is a publicly-traded company that specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of cleaning agents, personal care, and hygienic products such as Bounty paper towels, Charmin toilet paper, Dawn dish-washing detergent, Gillette razors, Head & Shoulders shampoo, and Luvs diapers.

There are over one billion people that have limited or no access to clean drinking water around the world. Each day, women and young girls in developing countries must walk long distances to collect contaminated water for their families; which, often times consumption leads to potentially-fatal illnesses. In the developing world, diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause of illness and death among infants and young children, as over 1000 are met with this fate every day. Altogether, more children die from diarrheal illnesses such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever, than from HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.

Since 2004, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Clinton Foundation, P&G has been spearheading an initiative called the Children’s Safe Drinking Water program to provide clean drinking water to those who need it most. Beginning with the PUR water filter, which was part of P&G’s portfolio until 2012, the company would develop, modify, and perfect a water purification packet system that has reduced the risk of disease and death by close to 50 percent.

Provided entirely on a not-for-profit basis, one P&G purification packet quickly converts 2.5 gallons of dirty, potentially-deadly water into clean, drinkable water. Since its inception well-over a decade ago, the program has partnered with more than 150 organizations to deliver more than 200 million gallons of purified drinking water in more than 75 countries. In addition to assisting matters in developing countries, the program also extends to assisting in emergencies like earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters; as well as, schools and malnourished children, mothers in health clinics, and to support people living with HIV/AIDS.

While they are focused-on the bottom-line like any other business, P&G understands they have a responsibility to use their influence as a corporate giant to help address environmental and social issues around the world.