From Rochdale to Rural Africa: Pharmacy MD travels to Togo for UNICEF

Pharmacist Padraig McGuinness; Jane Kellas of UNICEF; Co-operative Pharmacy Managing Director John Nuttall; Co-operative International Development Adviser Hannah Newcomb; Lydia Piddock, UNICEF

One of Rochdale’s business leaders will visit one of the poorest countries in Africa on Monday 29 August to witness first-hand how a project funded by The Co-operative Pharmacy is helping to improve sanitation in Togo, West Africa.

Managing Director of The Co-operative Pharmacy, John Nuttall, will accompany leading children’s organisation, UNICEF, on a five-day visit to Togo, along with one of the business’ pharmacists who has been selected to go on the trip. Together, they will see how The Co-operative Pharmacy’s three year partnership with UNICEF is helping to promote hygiene, improve sanitation and reduce water-borne diseases within communities in Togo.

The pharmacist selected to accompany Mr Nuttall on the visit – 24 year-old Padraig McGuinness from Peacehaven – will act as an ambassador for the partnership on their return, raising awareness of life threatening diseases facing children and their families in Togo and huge difference that can be made by fundraising initiatives, such as The Co-operative’s ‘Life-saving hand wash’. Whilst in Togo they will meet children who are benefitting from the project.

Customers can support UNICEF by purchasing marked packs of antibacterial hand wash at participating branches of The Co-operative Pharmacy. A donation of 15 pence will be made for each product purchased. Through this partnership, The Co-operative Pharmacy has already donated £400,000 to UNICEF which will help to provide 7,800 latrines, reaching 195,000 people in 390 villages.

Mr Nuttall said: “Poor sanitation leads to illness, causes children, especially girls, to miss out on school, and in many cases leads to death. I am really looking forward seeing how our support for UNICEF is making a difference and would like to thank everyone who has already helped us with our fundraising efforts.”

Julie Weston, Fundraising Director, UNICEF UK added: “Billions of people don’t have access to the most basic toilets. This isn’t just about comfort or privacy. Poor sanitation leads to illness, causes children, especially girls, to miss out on school, and in many cases leads to death. UNICEF believes this is wrong, and we are proud that The Co-operative Pharmacy has committed its support to help us put it right.”

The West African country of Togo is among the worst countries in the world in terms of sanitation, with some 88 per cent of the population not having access to ‘improved sanitation facilities’. This simply means that most people don’t have access to toilets connected to a sewer or septic system, a pour-flush toilet, or various types of pit latrine.

The Co-operative Pharmacy’s three-year partnership with UNICEF is part of The Co-operative Pharmacy’s ethical strategy and The Co-operative Group’s wider Tackling Global Poverty programme, which benefits over a million people each year including through its leadership on Fairtrade, support for overseas co-operatives and large-scale clean water, sanitation and green energy projects.

Anyone wishing to support The Co-operative Pharmacy and UNICEF’s work can make a donation via http://fundraise.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/The-Co-operative-Pharmacy-Togo