The PK-12 is near DP World’s new Doraleh Container Terminal. PK-12 started around three years ago as a simple rest-stop for truckers bound for the port of Djibouti, and has since grown into a virtual city of some 60,000 people, most of whom have no reliable access to safe drinking water.
Sharaf said, “At DP World, we recognise clearly that we are fundamentally part of the communities in which we operate. Often working with local partners, we strive to make a practical and very real difference to people’s lives, both indirectly, through the contribution we make to the community by providing efficient infrastructure, and directly, through community activity that meets basic needs and protects the environment. The water filter programme here in Djibouti is an example of this practical approach.”
The filter programme is a joint effort of DP World and Dimension Data, an IT services specialist and DP World supplier and Family Health International (FHI).
The SafeTStop programme and resource centre at PK-12 will be run by FHI and funded by the United Agency for International Development (USAID) and UNICEF, with backing from the Government of Djibouti. This programme offer AIDS-related counseling along with recreational facilities to truckers and vulnerable local populations along the highway linking DP World’s new Doraleh Container Terminal with the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. The resource centre is made from converted shipping containers. There are over 10 such resource centers established across Africa.
FHI has committed to distribute the filters to clinics and schools throughout the rural provinces of Ali Sabieh, Tadjourah, Obock and Arta. Other sites served include Khor-angar, Koutabouya, Assassan, Guirori, Sankel, and PK-12. The Forbes Aquasure Storage Water purifiers were manufactured by Forbes Lux.
