Nov 14, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Xylem Partners with Cityzens Giving For Annual Fan Vote

Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL), a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, is partnering with the Cityzens Giving annual charitable campaign launched today, a Manchester City Football Club’s global community initiative, which helps young leaders around the world change lives through the power of football.

Xylem will support a Cityzens Giving project focused on improving access to safe, clean water for over 5,000 children in Bangalore, India. Bangalore, also known as India’s Silicon Valley, is widely recognized as a hub for information technology companies, yet due to huge growth in population some traditional water sources have dried up and others have become contaminated. As a result, many children are at risk of contracting water borne diseases, which not only affects their health but also keeps them out of school, having a detrimental impact on their education.

Combining Xylem’s expertise in building water towers that deliver clean water in the heart of the community, and the unique power of football to provide education on water and sanitation, this Cityzens Giving project will increase access to safe water and reduce the risk of illness faced by children across the city.

Now in its fifth year, the Cityzens Giving initiative gives fans the opportunity to vote for how £400,000, donated by City Football Group and its partners, should be shared across six urban football projects. The projects, which focus on clean water access, girls’ empowerment, social inclusion, connecting communities, education and HIV prevention, are all run by inspiring Young Leaders, who combine a passion for football with a desire to make a positive impact in their local communities.

Young Leader, Tharun, from Bangalore explained why supporting this project is so important;

“In my community, there is no supply of clean water. The water is mixed with drainage water and it can make the children very sick and because of this they cannot go to school.

“Through this project, we teach children about hygiene, garbage issues, water problems and show them how to drink clean water. The students who come to my sessions are from my local community and because of that I can understand their difficulties. When they’re playing football, they forget about everything and feel happy.”

Over the course of a six-week campaign, fans will hear first-hand from the Young Leaders in each of the six projects and will be asked to vote for the one that resonates most with them. The more votes a project gets, the greater amount of funding it will receive.

“Xylem is committed to raising awareness of global water challenges and our partnership with Cityzens Giving for this project will provide a powerful opportunity to share in a community commitment to #LetsSolveWater,” said Joseph Vesey, Xylem Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “We look forward to watching the votes and to moving forward on a great initiative for the people of Bangalore to help advance water security and work towards a more sustainable future.”

Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive of City Football Group, said: “We at City Football Group are very proud about Cityzens Giving. Once again, we are investing in the future through these football projects around the world and the inspirational Young Leaders who are using the power of football in the most positive ways imaginable.”

“These young people have incredible stories and have committed themselves to using the world’s most loved, watched and played sport to impact their own communities and tackle social issues which need our support. We are proud to help them change perceptions of life in their cities using our shared love for football. In the last year alone, we have helped to train 300 Young Leaders, who have in turn delivered programmes to 15,000 young people.”

“We are again very happy to connect with our fans around the world and give them the power to positively impact these great projects”

Starting today, fans from across the City Football Group network can vote for their preferred cause at: www.mancity.com/cityzensgiving

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. Xylem also provides a leading portfolio of smart metering, network technologies and advanced infrastructure analytics solutions for water, electric and gas utilities. The Company’s more than 16,500 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York with 2017 revenue of $4.7 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.

About Cityzens Giving

Since the launch of Manchester City Football Club’s community initiative, Cityzens Giving, more than four years ago, over 40,000 youngsters in 18 cities around the world have benefited from projects delivered by young leaders. Each year, fans are given the opportunity to choose how funds, donated by City Football Group and its partners, are split between six different projects. Last year, more than 390,000 fans voted in the campaign.

In addition to funding, every season Young Leaders are invited to Manchester City’s Young Leaders Summit held at City Football Academy to share learning about how they are using the power of football to address social issues in their local communities.

In October 2016, Cityzens Giving won Corporate Citizenship Campaign of the Year at the annual Beyond Sport Awards, designed to support and reward the best projects across the globe that are using sport for positive social change.

For more information, please visit www.mancity.com/cityzensgiving