The City of Cape Town and its people are facing the worst drought in more than 400 years. As a non-profit organisation, Water4CapeTown.org works with local schools, micro-farms and the hospitality industry to assist them with the severe shortage, and potential lack of water. Together we are trying to build a city with a sustainable water supply now and in the future.
Five million school children go hungry in South Africa every day. To help combat this locally, micro-farms were started in Khayelitsha, Philippi, Langa and other townships. They grow fruit and vegetables to feed their communities. Micro-farms cannot survive without water and struggle enormously to gain access to water resources during this drought. We donate water storage tanks, water pumps and non-potable water to these farms, ensuring they can continue supplying our most vulnerable citizens with essential nutrition to survive, grow and thrive.
We launched our much needed #Youth4Water initiative, working to empower learners through the provision of Water Champion Edupacks. Edupacks are designed to enhance interactive learning, focusing on the transformation of daily habits fundamental to a water responsible lifestyle. We are aiming to roll out these enriching Edupacks as quickly as possible, working not only to promote water-wise behaviour but also whole child development, literacy and active citizenship.
Cape Town’s rural areas house 695 schools, 404 000 students and 30 000 teachers, who are all facing the severe consequences of this water crisis, a lack of potable water supply and a growing risk of bacterial disease due to ineffective sanitation. Our mission is to assist schools in operating during this time, educating learners on the extent of the crisis, to dramatically reduce their water use and to provide schools with additional water-wise infrastructure.
Other water resources include guidance on water storage, upgraded bathroom facilities, water-saving devices and waterless cleaning methods to minimise a schools’ water footprint.
The tourism industry in Cape Town is responsible for bringing in large amounts of the city’s revenue, supplying jobs and creating business opportunities for huge portions of the population. It is therefore essential to the stability of its economy. We work with hospitality businesses to be water wise and supply them with thorough water audits, in association with Going Grey. We also provide aesthetic informative pamphlets on the water crisis to encourage Cape Town’s admirers to donate funds and work with us in saving our beautiful city. We offer #thinkwater staff training on how best to run a successful business within the city’s water restrictions.
We are calling on all those able to pay it forward and help us to save our schools, both for the immediate future and for the long-term drier weather patterns predicted for the Western Cape. We thank you in advance for the interest in our campaign, and for your efforts in aiding our much-loved city during this disaster.