RTE signs deal at ATM to expand 'Just a Drop' Charity in Middle East

‘Just a Drop’, the Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) charity that raises cash to provide clean water for children around the globe, is set to expand in the Middle East and sub continent on the back of a deal signed with the French Bottled Water Company (FBWC) recently at the Arabian Travel Market 2004.

Under the deal FBWC will donate 2.5 per cent of sales income from all bottles of Santé still and sparkling mineral water it sells across the region.

And FBWC will work closely with RTE’s representative in Dubai to recruit more companies to support ‘Just a Drop’ and increase awareness of the cause at any hospitality and travel trade related gatherings, ranging from health and fitness to lifestyle and environment events it stages across the region.

Santé will be given free space at the ATM and other RTE events introduced to the Middle East and sub continent to promote the alliance between the two and raise money and awareness for ‘Just a Drop’.

Tom Nutley, a ‘Just a Drop’ Trustee and RTE’s Chairman, said: “We are working hard to expand the work of ‘Just a Drop’, which is the only global travel and tourism industry appeal dedicated to provide clean water to thousands of children and their families. All funds raised go straight to the work of the appeal and this joint venture with FBWC will not only bring in more cash for the cause through sales of Santé but also through signing up more businesses in the travel trade to extend our work.”

The charity supports water, sanitation and health projects worldwide. It also assists in providing water purifying tablets, water containers and hygiene packs to the victims of disasters, such as in times of major floods and earthquakes.

It has been involved in a wide range of projects from drilling 50 new wells in nine villages across Cambodia to drilling wells and launching a community healthcare programme in Ethiopia.

Rajesh Arab, Chief Executive Officer, FBWC, said: “We will be launching our flagship product, Santé, in the UAE this month and then rolling it out across the Middle East and sub continent. Our targeted sales should provide strong support for the ‘Just a Drop’ and we will also be working with RTE to gain support from other businesses in the travel and tourism industry for this important cause.”

Santé - which in French means ‘health’ and ‘good cheer’ - is bottled at source at the St Léger, Ste-Sophie & Aurèle springs in the heart of the French countryside.