Innovation & Technology

Stella Artois, Water.org Want You to 'Buy a Lady a Drink' to Help End Women’s Water-Collecting Journeys

Every day, women in developing countries spend a combined 200 million hours collecting clean water for their families. To raise awareness of this issue as part of the global water crisis and to help provide solutions, Belgian beer maker Stella Artois has launched its first global social impact campaign, “Buy a Lady a Drink.” With the support of Water.org and its co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White, “Buy a Lady a Drink” aims to help put a stop to these water-collecting journeys. The campaign formally launched on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival, of which Stella Artois is an annual sponsor.

Published 9 years ago | About a 4 minute read

Every day, women in developing countries spend a combined 200 million hours collecting clean water for their families. To raise awareness of this issue as part of the global water crisis and to help provide solutions, Belgian beer maker Stella Artois has launched its first global social impact campaign, “Buy a Lady a Drink.” With the support of Water.org and its co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White, “Buy a Lady a Drink” aims to help put a stop to these water-collecting journeys. The campaign formally launched on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival, of which Stella Artois is an annual sponsor.

“Awareness is as important as fundraising,” said Water.org co-founder Matt Damon. “We want people to understand the issue in all its complexity.”

Stella Artois has donated $1.2 million to Water.org and is now inviting consumers to join the cause by purchasing one of three limited-edition Stella Artois chalices — the company says each chalice purchase will help Water.org provide five years of clean water to one person in the developing world. In the U.S., consumers can purchase one of the 20,000 exclusive chalices for $12 on Amazon.com; all proceeds from sales of the chalices will be donated to Water.org. Beyond purchasing a chalice, consumers will also be able to learn more about the Stella Artois “Buy a Lady a Drink” campaign, the partnership with Water.org and stories of women directly impacted by the global water crisis on the campaign’s website.

“Water.org’s current success shows we can make a difference in solving the water crisis,” said Debora Koyama, Global Vice President of Stella Artois. “As a key ingredient in our beers, water is a natural resource Stella Artois aims to protect and preserve. We are delighted to enlist millions of Stella Artois fans around the world in this effort, as well as the iconic Stella Artois Chalice as the symbol of this campaign.”

The three unique and beautifully designed chalices were inspired by traditional handcrafted objects from three of the developing countries in which Water.org operates, including textiles from India, baskets from Ethiopia and pottery from Honduras. Consumers can purchase the chalices at Amazon.com in the US, Shop.StellaArtois.com in the UK, TheChaliceStore.com in Argentina and at the Visitor’s Center at the Stella Artois brewery in Belgium.

“We are proud to join Water.org, Matt Damon and Gary White to help raise awareness of the global water crisis that affects more than 750 million people around the world, and support Water.org’s efforts through donations and the sale of these stunningly-designed chalices,” said Miguel Patricio, Chief Marketing Officer at AB InBev, Stella’s parent company.

Stella Artois and Water.org enlisted celebrated visual artists to produce captivating films and photography for the campaign, including Grammy-nominated directors Frederick Scott and Nicolas Jack Davies (Fred&Nick) and noted photographer Chris Ozer.

Ozer**,** Scott and Davies traveled with Water.org to India to film and photograph real stories of women who have been impacted by the water crisis, and how improved access to clean water has transformed their futures. “Walking to Water” and “Life with Water” offer an intimate view of the everyday challenges women in the developing world face, and the dramatic changes that access to clean water can make in their lives. Fred&Nick also created a short film featuring Matt Damon to introduce the campaign, and Ozer also traveled to Honduras and Ethiopia with Water.org to capture a series of 90 poignant still images.

Earlier this month, the World Economic Forum named the water crisis as the most impactful global risk of 2015, but organizations around the world have long been working to find answers, as campaigns such as Acqua for Life and #ToastToWater work to raise awareness in the developed world while also raising funds to implement solutions.