VODIM is a long-term programme for clear water from the spring to the tap.

                      Its goal is to provide access of various groups to drinkable water at times when such access is getting more and more uncertain

UBB and Mastercard have announced their new cooperation initiative in the sustainability domain. Within the long-term initiative under the VODIM motto the two companies are going to work jointly for the protection of one of the most precious resources on Earth – water. In line with the launch of their partnership the two companies remind that according to the United Nations Organization (UN) it is anticipated that by Y2030 the world is going to face substantial water shortage, as the demand of fresh water worldwide may exceed the available resources by 40%. This forthcoming crisis is due to factors such as climate change, growing population and non-sustainable water management practices.

By the end of Y2025 the VODIM programme will deploy activities along two of its lines – restoration of fountains and micro wetlands in Vitosha Nature Park and ensuring easy access to clear drinkable water through installing dispensers for filtered water at schools in Sofia.

Fountains outside urban areas remain unmaintained, while alongside with climate changes droughts are becoming more and more frequent. Hence the motivation behind the restoration of fountains and the accompanying them micro wetlands makes those extremely valuable to both people and the wild biodiversity. In this activity of its the programme is being also supported by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation. Plans for the restoration of fountains in the mountains will start with those along the northern slope of Vitosha Nature Park, then along the southern one, and later also in southern Stara Planina mountain.

„I believe that access to clear water is becoming one of the most important global causes today, because water is at the core of life, and without it we are exposing to risk our health, jeopardizing the quality of food we consume, our economy suffers, and we also disrupt the sustainability of our planet. It is simple, but true – water means life. By preserving it today, we preserve the future of all living creatures on this planet “, commented Christof De Mil, Country Manager of KBC Group for Bulgaria and Chief Executive Officer of UBB.

„Water impacts all along its way from mountain springs to city taps. That is why through the VODIM programme we launch an initiative for access to clear drinkable water and for the protection of its quality in a thorough and integrated way. Our purpose is to promote in people’s daily lives the drinking of water from the water supply system, thus making it preferred to bottled water. Our vision is to ensure access to filtered, drinkable water at various institutions, as this has already been a fact at Mastercard’s office in Bulgaria over a 5-year period now. And in order to make drinking of water fashionable for youngsters, as early as the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year we are going to install the first dispensers with gamification function at three large schools in Sofia city.“, added to the motivation behind the project Vanya Manova, Country Manager of Mastercard for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.

The installation of dispensers is the fastest and the easiest way to ensure access to clear water free of charge. Apart from the schools in Sofia, the project’s scope aims to reach universities, and potentially other institutions, meeting large groups of consumers, and to also go beyond Sofia city limits.

Over the next years the VODIM programme envisages exploring entirely new domains. These involve targeted campaigns for cleaning the Bulgarian seaside. The emphasis will be on the pollution of water basins in coastal areas.

While presenting the VODIM programme UBB and Mastercard have described a 3-year horizon, which not by coincidence starts in Y2025 – an important year in the sustainability efforts, linked to water, and announced by the UN as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.