DENVER, CO — Expanding its commitment to helping end the global water crisis with sustainable solutions, Jacobs presented nonprofit organization Water For People with a donation check for $467,230 at Jacobs' recent Board of Directors meeting. A combination of corporate and employee funds, the company's inaugural sponsor contribution will ignite Water For People's journey to Destination 2030, a 10-year initiative to help low- and middle-income countries achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Based in Denver, Colorado, Water For People's mission is to promote the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services, accessible to all, and sustained by strong communities, businesses and government, in nine countries across Latin America, Africa and Asia. Water For People's Destination 2030 initiative not only will help countries achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, but will also contribute progress toward several other U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

"Destination 2030 is Water For People's inspirational 10-year vision," said Jacobs Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou. "With Jacobs support, we will help Water For People find new ways to scale their work to meet Destination 2030 and elevate their Everyone Forever model to positively impact millions more people in the next 10 years."

A partner of Water For People since 1991, Jacobs has donated more than $3 million and thousands of volunteer hours to help the nonprofit make their vision — a world where every person has access to reliable and safe drinking water and sanitation, forever — a reality.

"One in three people globally don't have access to safe water. One in two people — more than half of us walking the planet — don't have access to adequate sanitation," said Water For People CEO Eleanor Allen. "Why should we care? This startling statistic equates to 266 million hours lost every day by women and girls looking for a place to go to the bathroom. That's enough time for 46,000 women to get a college degree every single day!"

The World Economic Forum (WEF) once again named water crises to its Global Risks Report 2020, which presents the major risks the world will face in terms of likelihood and impact during the year.

At WEF's Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, Demetriou spoke as incoming Co-Chair of the Infrastructure and Urban Development Governors, moderating a panel on leveraging technology and innovation to achieve a net-zero carbon future, while Jacobs President and Chief Financial Officer Kevin Berryman spoke on a Davos panel addressing the role that responsible water consumption plays in addressing the global water crisis.