11 July 2016, Singapore. World Vision International today launched the first Asia Public-Private Partnerships Hub (Asia P3 Hub) in Singapore, an incubator that works with companies, startups and non-profit organizations to build strategic, mutually-beneficial partnerships and bring about transformational change within communities across Asia Pacific.
Asia P3 Hub will facilitate the pouring of ideas and solutions to address environmental challenges such as water scarcity and poor water access.
The Asia P3 Hub, with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will act as a platform to spark innovation, ideas and partnerships to produce measurable and impactful actions for the world’s most vulnerable children and their communities.
The Asia P3 Hub will harness the expertise of the private and non-profit sectors, while offering the opportunity for companies to leverage World Vision International’s regional networks, experience of working with communities, and strong technical capabilities in addressing the region’s most critical social issues.
The Asia P3 Hub will first focus on addressing developing clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector solutions. “For more than 60 years World Vision International has worked with communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Multi-stakeholder partnering in this way will maximize our impact and efficiency for those who need our help the most,” says Prasanna De Silva, World Vision International’s Senior Director Operations for South Asia & Pacific Region. “The incubator signals a new era of collaboration that will encourage new ideas to tackle complex development problems and humanitarian issues.”
Speaking at the launch event, Lee Eng Keat, EDB’s Director of the International Organisations Programme Office, explained, “We are glad that World Vision International has launched its first Asia P3 Hub in Singapore. We are confident that the incubator will complement the local business and start-up ecosystems. Not only will the Asia P3 Hub serve to address key social issues in the region, it is well-positioned to support companies in delivering positive impact through its strong regional networks, experience of working with developing communities, and technical expertise in water.”
Asia P3 Hub launched by (fr left) Jamie Endaya, Procter & Gamble Asia; Prasanna de Silva, Word Vision International; Professor Rebekah Brown, Monash Sustainability Institute; Lee Eng Keat, EDB Singapore; and Christy Davis, World Vision International. Davis is Director, Partnerships Development South Asia & Pacific.
Water will be Asia P3 Hub’s first focus area. One out of seven people do not have access to clean water. Of that number, 635 million, or just under two thirds of them live in Asia, with China and India leading at 120 and 100 million people respectively.
For its initial focus, Asia P3 Hub will leverage Singapore’s reputation as a center of water excellence and global hydro-hub to ensure that people in Asia have universal access to clean water. Globally, World Vision International is recognized for its work driving strategic, mutually beneficial and long-term collaborations with corporates, especially in the area of clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
Combining a 50-year track record and a global network of more than 700 technical experts, World Vision International is currently the largest non-governmental provider of clean water in the developing world. Equipped with its knowledge and best practices, the Asia P3 Hub will serve to enable the forging of valuable WASH related partnerships in and from Singapore, as demonstrated through World Vision International’s existing partnerships with companies such as Procter & Gamble.
“Singapore is a safe sandbox for startups to such to create innovative solutions that tackle bigger global issues. Being part of Asia P3 Hub allows us to work with larger public and private organisations driven by the same goal, to create new market-driven solutions for the problems around us,” says David Pong, Chief Executive of WateROAM and co-creator of ROAMfilter Lite, a portable water filtration system.
The Asia P3 Hub invites partners, contributors and startups to connect, so that we can start making a difference together in the region’s future
Photos by World Vision International.
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