Roca, the world leader in products designed for bathroom spaces has officially launched the We Are Water Foundation. NGO representatives, renowned figures from world of the arts such as Isabel Coixet, Manuel Outumuro, and Joan Potau, among others, as well as representatives of the company attended the event to get a first hand insight into this new initiative

from Roca.

Among the more than 200 guests who attended were distinguished members from the fashion industry such as Josep Abril and Roser Marce and the business world such as Miquel Valls from the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Manuel Gari from the Banco Sabadell / Private Banking Division, as well as representatives from government institutions such as Telma Ortiz from the Barcelona City Council, Sara Puig from the Francisco Godia Foundation and Gabriel Masfurroll from the Alex Foundation.

The We Are Water Foundation was founded with the objective of mitigating the negative effects associated with the lack of adequate water resources, raise overall awareness and motivate people to donate funds to be used in the implementation of cooperation projects.

"For over 50 years we have been working to improve the environment and our leadership must also be demonstrated in this area," stated Jose Miguel Roca, CEO of Roca. "With the creation of the We Are Water Foundation, we are bolstering our commitment to sustainable development, as well as to helping individuals and communities who are most affected by a lack of water and its consequences. We are a benchmark reference company when it comes to sustainability and respect for the environment, especially regarding everything related to the water. "

For full information about the We Are Water Foundation, the website www.wearewater.org has been created where visitors can view the Foundation’s objectives and its projects, and read the messages of support sent from some of the friends of the Foundation, including Eduardo Punset and Maria de Medeiros to name a few.

Documentary by Isabel Coixet

The We Are Water Foundation will launch various cooperation projects and initiatives either directly or in collaboration with NGOs, other institutions.

The Foundation's first initiative was implemented in conjunction with the filmmaker Isabel Coixet who shot the documentary "Aral, the lost sea," which also involved Sir Ben Kingsley and Tim Robbins.

This documentary, which will have its official launch at the International San Sebastian Film Festival, tells the dramatic story of the desertification of the Aral Sea, one of the biggest ecological disasters in recent history.

Isabel Coixet believes that the Aral Sea is just one example of the many ecological disasters we are facing on our planet today.

"The support of We Are Water in this first initiative will allow the documentary to achieve global distribution and make us reflect on the mismanagement of this increasingly scarce resource. We Are Water is an opportunity to raise awareness of water as a fundamentally important element for sustainable development, and which is not within everyone’s reach. "

About the We Are Water Foundation

The We Are Water Foundation would not have been possible without the support and momentum of Roca that since its foundation has been committed to the environment, as reflected in its products and in production processes.

Roca is aware that water is a unique and limited resource and therefore has spent over 50 years incorporating water and energy saving devices into their products, thus contributing to a balanced and sustainable coexistence with the environment.

The Foundation was established with two main objectives: the first is to raise awareness and to encourage public opinion and institutions to seriously reflect on the need to create a new culture of water that allows the fair and sustainable management of water resources around the world. The second objective is to implement all kinds of different actions to mitigate the negative effects of the lack of adequate water resources. The areas of activity of the foundation include interventions in
infrastructure development, education, health and research in the most deprived areas of the planet.

The We Are Water Foundation may act directly or in collaboration with NGOs or other institutions of any nature who, on proposing projects that meet the requirements of this non-profit organization, will receive monetary aid to carry out these projects.

The We Are Water Foundation has signed agreements with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, Education Without Borders, Oxfam and Intermon Unicef.

The Vicente Ferrer Foundation’s project is based in the construction of a dam that will allow water storage and aquifer recovery in one of the harshest climatic and poorest areas of India in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The main objective is to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged people of this region by increasing productivity and crop diversification.

Together with Education Without Borders (Educación Sin Fronteras) a project is under development that will benefit the Aymara and Uru populations of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. These populations are affected by extreme poverty, lack of rain, pollution and the falling water level of the lake. To improve this situation, intercultural training programs have been introduced into schools in the area that address the recovery of ancestral knowledge so that the local people can gain awareness of the importance of water and damage from spills. In addition to such training, networks are being created to influence local political institutions to develop drinking water and sewer systems (read the spanish press release here).

The collaboration with Intermón Oxfam is targeted at building facilities for access to clean water in several areas of Ethiopia, conservation and development of natural resources around water sources and channels, promoting water and sanitation and community revitalization and good governance in all water-related issues.

The We are Water Foundation is also working closely with UNICEF to reduce the more than 5,000 deaths a day of children under five due to preventable diseases. Due to the inextricable link between water and infant mortality, UNICEF has incorporated the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) program into its strategy. This program is based on children's rights as all children have the right to life, and access to drinking water, sanitation and health care when needed.

UNICEF’s WASH strategy is also aimed at achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to drinking water and basic sanitation.

About Roca

Roca is a company dedicated to the design, production, sales and marketing of products for the bathroom space for architecture, construction and interior design. The company, of wholly Spanish capital, employs more than 18,700 employees, has 68 production plants and is present in over 135 countries across five continents.

Roca is constantly working to develop and promote initiatives that help to preserve the environment. The company’s commitment is not only evident in the production processes of the Eco-Roca project, but also in the development of new products to promote water saving.

The We Are Water Foundation is a fundamental pillar of Roca’s sustainability policy, which is one of the guiding principles of the company.