Unity Water Foundation

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Unity Water Foundation

🌧️ Last week we joined the Grade 3B class at Qhamukile Primary School for a lesson on water conservation and stewardship as part of our Mayine Water Champions programme.

It was a lovely spring day, so instead of staying in the classroom, we headed outside onto the field, where Makhubalo Ikaneng the Storyteller introduced the children to Mayine the Rain Queen.

The story combines traditional African storytelling with song and performance, while weaving in lessons about water conservation, community and the importance of working together to look after the resources we all depend on.

After the story, we played a learning game that got everyone moving, talking and, most importantly, thinking. Through questions, answers and different scenarios, we explored how we use water, why it needs to be respected and conserved, some of the water challenges communities face, and what children themselves can do about them.

What was particularly encouraging was how seriously the Grade 3Bs engaged with the discussion. They were enthusiastic, but they were also curious and thoughtful, asking questions, making connections and coming up with their own ideas about how they could conserve water and help solve problems in their community.

By the end of the session, they had very earnestly pledged to become Water Champions and to do their bit to look after water and the world around them.

Then, as they made their way across the field and back to their classroom, they were still singing the Mayine songs. 🎶💧

We couldn't have asked for a better way to end the morning.

On Friday, we were back in the Shiyas informal settlement with Stan Goodenough, delivering a few more water trolleys to people living around the community's water collection points and collecting more than 80 bags of rubbish that residents had cleared from around their homes.

The We Are M.A.D. (Making a Difference) project is very much Stan's vision, and we're helping him turn that vision into something practical, working with the community rather than deciding for them what their priorities should be.

The initial seed funding that helped us start putting some of these ideas into action came from members of the former Rotary Club of Hilton and Howick.

Shiyas is one of South Africa's many informal settlements. These communities have grown rapidly as people have moved towards urban areas looking for work and opportunity, while housing and basic infrastructure simply haven't kept pace.

The water trolleys are one small way we're trying to make things easier.

We call them WaterHogs. The smaller version carries a single water container, while the larger double version is the MamaHog, because naturally she's the mom of the WaterHogs!

The name came partly from what they do and partly from what they look like. Those handles sticking up at the back reminded us of warthogs racing through the bush with their tails in the air.

They're also being made locally. Colin Scott from Quadmaster is helping manufacture the WaterHogs using exceptionally tough recycled plastic planks supplied by Central Waste. They're made from recycled No. 2 plastic, or HDPE, commonly used for milk and shampoo bottles and other household containers.

And there's a nice circularity to that when you consider the other half of this project: waste.

Rubbish is being used almost as a form of currency for the WaterHogs. People receiving them are getting involved in cleaning up their surroundings, which is how we arrived on Friday to find more than 80 bags of rubbish waiting to be collected.

We're not looking at water access, waste and the environment as completely separate problems. And as the project grows, we'll also introduce Hippo Rollers for households and areas where they are the more appropriate solution.

We are learning as we go, listening to the community and adapting the project around what the people living in Shiyas tell us will genuinely make a difference.

None of this happens on our own.

We have some incredibly kind people supporting Unity Water Foundation, along with Rotary clubs, businesses, employee giving programmes, friends and organisations that have chosen to get behind what we're trying to achieve. Some give financially, some give their time or expertise, some help us make connections, and others simply keep showing up when we need them.

We are enormously grateful for every bit of it.

But today, mostly, we just want to say thank you to the people who are already helping us do this.

More than 80 bags of rubbish and a few WaterHogs might look like a small step. But this project is being built one small step at a time, together with a community that is very much part of deciding where we go next.

We ended our Mayine Water Champions sessions with Grade 3A at Qhamukile Primary on a high a couple of weeks ago.

During our time with them, the children have explored water in a number of different ways. It started with Makhubalo Ikaneng the storyteller and his Mayine the Rain Queen play about water, which was followed by sessions with our team that brought the story closer to home.

The children drew map-posters of their school and the area around it, identifying the water resources and assets they knew, but also the problems and challenges they could see. We talked through what they had mapped, spoke about the challenges and how they could play a role in solving them, asked lots of questions and put their new knowledge to the test with group quizzes.

For a class of 10 to 12-year-olds, the discussions were wonderfully proactive.

Their teacher also shared some great feedback with us. Since Mayine began, she has noticed water coming up more and more in the classroom. The children still sing the play's songs, and have started writing about water in their language lessons and bringing water into other classroom discussions. They are clearly thinking about water beyond the time they spend with us, which is exactly what we hoped would happen.

And then they took it a step further.

Working with their teacher, the class identified a family in their community who has no water at home and has to walk down to the river to collect water and do laundry. Thanks to our friends at the Rotary Club of Palos Verdes Peninsula we were able to give the Grade 3A class with a Hippo Roller to give to the family and the roller that will soon be making that family's daily water collection a little easier.

Qhamukile is fast becoming one of our favourite schools. It isn't as well resourced as many schools in South Africa, but the staff and school leadership have created something special. The children are curious, beautifully mannered, take great care of what they have and are, quite simply, a happy bunch of kids.

As we were leaving, they came outside for playtime and we couldn't resist taking a photograph. Watching them running around having an absolute ball made the team a little nostalgic. There was definitely a moment when we wanted to join in!

We look forward to many more visits to Qhamukile, and to seeing what these young Water Champions do next.

There is something pretty special about seeing young people on opposite sides of the world come together around one shared goal. 💧🌍

Last week, the Unity Water Foundation team headed down to Umzinto on the KZN South Coast to meet the awesome young changemakers of the recently chartered Interact Club of Umzinto Secondary School and members of their sponsor club, the Rotary Club of Aliwal Shoal.

During our hour together, we talked about how we could partner on water projects and support this enthusiastic young club, including an exciting Hippo Roller project connecting them with fellow Interactors Goleta Vally Jr High in Southern California.

Earlier this year, the California Interactors decided they wanted to help families in Africa facing the daily challenge of collecting water and raised funds to sponsor Hippo Rollers. Now, the Umzinto Interactors will work with Unity Water Foundation to identify local families who need them and be part of handing them over.

Young people thousands of kilometres apart, working together to make a very real difference. 💙

We also committed to supporting the club with other water and environmental projects as opportunities arise, including a planned beach clean-up.

We left Umzinto inspired and can't wait to be back in October to see these amazing Interactors again and meet the families receiving their Hippo Rollers.

YoungChangemakers Umzinto KZN

38 more Hippo Rollers have arrived in KZN! 💧🌱

These rollers have travelled down from Johannesburg and will form part of the final distribution of the Rotary PMB 100 Project, the The Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg Azalea’s Centennial Project, in partnership with Unity Water Foundation and (Africa Co-operative Action Trust).

The 38 Hippo Rollers were generously sponsored by the McMurray Rotary Club, Pennsylvania, helping us take another big step towards completing this very special project.

And once again, we have to give a huge shout-out to Vukani Afrika Transport Pty Ltd, Sandile and his team. Their service is always incredibly quick, efficient and reliable, and it is an absolute pleasure working with a company that helps us get these water solutions where they need to go.

These 38 join another 40 Hippo Rollers, sponsored by Rotary Club of Palos Verdes Peninsula, its members and its foundation, already waiting for distribution.

Each of the 78 Hippo Rollers include a water filter, meaning 78 more subsistence farming families in KwaZulu-Natal will soon have a very different way of collecting, transporting, storing and drinking water. The final order of 48 water filters is due to arrive by Friday and then we will be working on the final delivery and distribution plans with ACAT - and we can't wait to meet these families!

For these families, though, a Hippo Roller is about more than water for the home. Water is also what keeps a small food garden growing. It helps put vegetables on the table, supports household food security and, when there is enough to spare, can even create a little extra income.

That is why we often say: more drops = more crops. 💧🌱

Thank you to the Rotary Club of McMurray, the Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg Azalea, ACAT, Vukani Africa Transport, and everyone who has helped us keep these water solutions moving.

Water is the foundation of every opportunity...

💧 "Access to water and sanitation makes almost everything in our life possible. Water is not just a resource – it is the foundation of every opportunity."
— Retno Marsudi, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water

Football brings people together across borders and cultures. The campaign uses that same spirit of teamwork to inspire collective action for water and sanitation—because achieving is a goal no one can reach alone.

At the SDG Media Zone discussion on the campaign, speakers explored how the universal appeal of sport can help raise the political ambition needed to accelerate progress on ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.

The discussion also highlighted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2026, which shows that while progress is being made, it remains too slow and uneven. The report reinforces the need for stronger cooperation, greater investment and sustained action to achieve SDG 6.

📄 Read the UN SDG 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2026: https://www.unwater.org/publications/sdg-6-synthesis-report-2026
🎥 Watch the full SDG Media Zone discussion on UN WebTV: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k17/k170dp8w2t
Or watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jO8ZEmWKbHk

On Thursday, the Unity Water Foundation team, together with Makhubalo Ikaneng the Storyteller, spent the morning with the Grade 3A class at in .

We shared the story of Mayine the Rain Queen and spoke about why water is so precious and why every one of us has a role to play in looking after it. It was impossible not to smile and join in as the children sang, clapped, danced and became part of the story!

Afterwards, the learners started creating their own Water Assets and Challenges Maps, identifying where water comes from in their community, the challenges they face, and the resources they already have. They also had the chance to learn about the and see how it helps families collect and store water more safely and efficiently in villages, informal settlements and water-scarce communities.

This is start of their journey in the Unity Water Foundation Mayine Programme, which gives children practical skills to understand and care for the water around them through four simple steps.

👀 Watch the story of Mayine the Rain Queen.

💬 Speak about water, hygiene, water sources and the challenges people face.

🗺️ Map the water assets and problems in their own community.

🌱 Act by choosing one practical step they can take to make a difference and doing it.

We believe children learn best when they are encouraged to ask questions, share ideas and become part of the solution. Watching these young learners embrace those ideas was a wonderful reminder that caring for our water starts with understanding it... And children who understand water, become adults who care for water.

If you want to support this program, please visit: www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-raise-the-next-generation-of-water-champions

Another fabulous Rotary Club is supporting our project. We are genuinely proud to have Daniel among our volunteers, and El Segundo Rotary Club's trust and support.

When most of us think about water insecurity, we think about dehydration.

Researchers are increasingly finding that dehydration may actually be one of the smaller consequences.

What happens when a family doesn't know whether they will have enough water tomorrow?

What happens when a mother worries constantly about providing water for her children?

What happens when children arrive at school exhausted after collecting water before class?

The answer is that water insecurity creates a constant background stress that affects almost every aspect of life.

Water is the entry point, but rarely the destination. This is why we emphasize agency, ownership, stewardship, and co-creation rather than charity.

Support lasting change: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/help-create-opportunities-through-water