Coronavirus Outbreak: Reckitt Benckiser Pledges £32 Million To ‘RB Fight For Access Fund’ To Help Control The Spread Of COVID-19

New Delhi: Reckitt Benckiser or RB is the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company. In a bid to help combat the spread of novel coronavirus, RB has launched the RB Fight For Access Fund. To improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. As part of this fund, an £32M has been mobilised to address the urgent collective fight against the spread of COVID-19 by breaking the chain of this fast-spreading infection. The fund will be a demonstration of RB’s purpose and fight in action- to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world.

Laxman Narasimhan, RB’s Global CEO says,

Under this initiative, in India, we will donate 10 million bars of Dettol soap to the most vulnerable, 3.5 million N95 (medical grade) masks to frontline health workers as well as 1 million litres of disinfectant products like Lizol surface cleaner and Harpic toilet cleaners to aid public health institutions and frontline health and sanitation workers in different states who are fighting to keep the nation safe. We will continue to partner with the government on driving behaviour change and supporting the great partnership we have developed through the Dettol Banega Swasth India campaign.

Also Read: COVID-19: Lockdown Alone Will Not Eradicate Coronavirus, Need More Testing And Isolating, Say Experts

Recognising that awareness and availability are the biggest challenges in the current scenarios, RB India, commenced various activities in utilising the fund, focusing on consumers engagements to share information and product distribution. The fund will be utilised in two ways mentioned below.

1. Making the products available to the ones in need:

Distribution of 10 million units of Dettol Soap to the most vulnerable within India.

Dettol in partnership with Bikers for Good launched #HandWashCorona, a public health initiative amidst the raging spread of COVID-19. Under this campaign, volunteers rode within the streets of New Delhi-NCR and distributed 9 lakh Dettol soaps to families in weaker/unprivileged communities.

RB will make 1 million litres of disinfectant products including Lizol disinfectant liquid and Harpic toilet cleaners to aid India’s states in fighting this crisis especially in public health institutions and at the frontline with health and sanitation workers.

Donating critical protection equipment – 3.5 million N95 masks with a focus on pharmacists and health care workers. These will be distributed across our major markets.

Also Read: Odisha To Set Up Two Special COVID-19 Hospitals With Total Capacity Of 950 Beds

2. Mass outreach through informative advertisement on TV:

Dettol in partnership with leading Bollywood actress, Madhuri Dixit released an engaging public service announcement #ApniSurkashaApneHaath to encourage viewers to practice hand washing.

Laxman Narasimhan, said,

We have a 200 year history of making a material difference to the lives of our consumers. Our brands have a critical role to play in promoting hygiene and health in the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic. I have been witness to heroic efforts across the company to live our ‘Purpose and our Fight’. I am in awe of the ‘can do’ attitude across the RB organisation and the relentless pursuit by my colleagues to make the world cleaner and healthier.

Furthermore, the Dettol India The Hand Wash Challenge campaign on TikTok reached 20 billion views in one week getting important behaviour change messages to young people on the necessity of hand washing.

The RB Fight for Access Fund will benefit from 50 per cent funding from corporate, matched by funding from each of the three business units, Hygiene, Health & Nutrition. The maximum amount for any one initiative will be capped at £ 1 million. All programmes will be independently measured and captured on Goodera, central platform and repository of all the fantastic initiatives RB have globally.