Viva Con Agua
Based on the guiding principle that clean water is a human right, Viva con Agua promotes access to clean drinking water, basic sanitation and hygiene facilities. This inspirational community and network of people is committed to their goal of “Water for All, All for Water” which underlies the impressive number of projects they run both here in South Africa and abroad.
While the organization originally started in Germany, they have since grown into an international family with Ajay Paul at the helm as the director and co-founder of the South African team. He hasn’t lost a bit of his passion for the valuable work he and his team do in the over 25 years he has been with the organization and continues to steer their various projects with care and drive.
These projects aim to help as many people as possible, from school children in rural areas to the homeless in inner-city Cape Town, gain access to clean water, sanitation sand hygiene (WASH) services. Through their project WASH in Schools (WINS), they build toilets and rehabilitate sanitation infrastructure while also enriching learner’s health and improving educational outcomes by creating a safe and clean learning environment. Another of their flagship projects, Nina Manzi, provides mobile sanitation facilities to the homeless in Cape Town and offers an immediate and empathetic solution to the shortage of such facilities in urban areas. Providing more than just a hot shower, those involved share the vision to enable transformation in the lives of the homeless by giving back some dignity and forging connections. They also involve the community while raising awareness and funds through Art for WASH, Sport for WASH and Music for WASH, just to name a few more of their impactful projects.
I couldn’t help being moved by how the amazing team behind Viva con Aqua truly live up to their motto and strive for their goals while having an undeniable impact on the people their projects reach. Living in a water-scarce country, it isn’t hard to see just how necessary the work they do is.
If you were similarly inspired, please visit their website and find out how you can get involved.
https://vivaconaqua.org.za
