Matt Damon to visit Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Award-winning Hollywood actor Matt Damon will visit the Philippines to check water and toilet facilities in poor communities around the country.

Global non-profit organization Water.org, which was co-founded by Damon, has announced its partnership with local microfinance institution ASA Philippines to finance Filipino communities in need of water and sanitation facilities.

The collaboration is part of the implementation of Water.org’s water credit program aimed at providing poor communities access to safe drinking water and sanitation through small loans.

These micro-loans must be used for water connections, pumps, tanks and filters or for the construction or improvement of toilets.

Damon may visit the country in February or March, according to ASA Philippines. The star of the Bourne series has received Oscar and Golden Globe trophies.

The water credit program has assisted over 600,000 households in nine countries since it started in 2003. In the Philippines, an estimated 200,000 households are seen to benefit from the project, which will run until 2018.

In a report released last year, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization noted that despite improvements in providing access to potable water and sanitation, three percent of Filipinos still tap water from surface sources and 26 percent have poor access to sanitation facilities.

“We are impressed with ASA Philippines’ commitment to represent and serve the needs of low income and vulnerable Filipinos. Through the water and sanitation financing program, there is huge potential to impact the health, safety and productivity of families across the Philippines,” said Water.org’s director of International Programs Richard Thorsten.

ASA Philippines chief executive officer Kamrul Tarafder said over 3,000 households benefited from the project during its pilot testing last year.

The financing program will be open to the more than one million clients of ASA Philippines in 700 locations in 82 provinces in the country.