COCA-COLA Foundation Philippines Inc. (Coca-Cola Foundation PH) announced that it has partnered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) Philippines and nongovernment organizations for watershed rehabilitation in two regions.

To formalize the partnership, Coca-Cola Foundation PH and USAid initially signed two memorandums of agreement (MoAs) on March 22 at the Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

One MoA was for the Iloilo Water Resilience Initiative Project and another one was for the Sustaining Watershed Health through Sustainable Livelihood and Agroforestry Project in Negros Occidental. These agreements will provide grants to the two watershed rehabilitation initiatives.

These MoAs come as Coca-Cola Foundation PH continues to support community access to clean, safe water through its partnership with USAid Philippines and nongovernment organizations, in order to promote a water-secure future.

The Iloilo Water Resilience Initiative (Iwari) Project aims to promote climate resilience and help enhance water availability from the Tigum-Aganan Watershed and Iloilo-Batiano Watershed for upstream and downstream communities, including Iloilo City, through improved resource management.

With the private sector grant, the Iwari Project will be implemented on the ground by Catholic Relief Services Philippines and Green Forum Western Visayas while USAid will provide the technical oversight for the project.

According to the two groups, this will help address the urgent need for sustainable management of critical watersheds in Iloilo province and ultimately help improve water availability from the watersheds.