LAHORE (Staff Report) – The Coca-Cola Foundation Thursday approved a further grant of $ 190,500 special for the year 2015-16, making this possibly the longest running corporate funded environmental project and specialized microfinance project in Pakistan.
The foundation approved $ 90,500 for environmental projects which is a testimony to the success of Coca-Cola and WWF’s efforts to protect the watershed and promote environmental conservation, resulting in a measurable difference in the ecosystem of project areas, and in local communities benefiting directly.
It has also approved a further grant of U.S.$ 100,000.00 to the Kashf Foundation for an ongoing women empowerment programme which was started off 3 years ago. Over 3,350 women have so far been empowered to establish small business and create livelihoods for themselves and their families.
The noteworthy factor of both the fresh grants made by Coca-Cola is that funding has been provided to projects that make a measurable positive impact and result in long-term sustainable benefits.
The approach is therefore not to provide temporary relief, but to create infrastructure and opportunities that will continue to provide life-changing socio-economic uplift to the beneficiaries and local communities even when corporate funding is no longer available.
Previously, the Coca-Cola Foundation has already given grants totally $ 380,000 to Kashf Foundation.
In 2008 The Coca-Cola Foundation gave a grant of US$ 230,000 to WWF-Pakistan to launch a comprehensive project for sub-watershed management in and around Ayubia National Park in the Murree Hills area.
Since then the Foundation has further funded the project every year, and till June this year, the total funding provided to the project over 7 years has exceeded U.S.$ 886,000. As a result this environmental project has resulted in substantial and sustainable benefits accruing.
