Pictured: Children from the Zandspruit informal settlement enjoy a jumping castle at the World Water Day Celebrations held at Emthonjeni Community Centre in Zandspruit on 22 March. Xylem  Water Solutions South Africa announced its partnership with Emthonjeni and the Rotary Club of Northcliff to upgrade the water infrastructure to the community living in the informal settlement.

Water is a scarce resource that needs to be managed vigilantly. With this in mind, Xylem Water Solutions South Africa have entered into a partnership with Emthonjeni Community Centres and the Rotary Club of Northcliff to help address the growing water-needs of the community residing in the informal settlement of Zandspruit in Gauteng. This exciting partnership was officially celebrated on World Water Day on the 22^nd of March 2013 at Emthonjeni’s premises in Zandspruit.  

World Water Day is held annually on the 22^nd of March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. World Water day also happens to fall within South Africa’s Water Week this year, which made this the ideal opportunity to celebrate  Xylem’s partnership with Emthonjeni and the Rotary Club of Northcliff, that has come about as an effort to help improve the lives of the 70 000 people residing in the informal settlement of Zandspruit.

Emthonjeni Community Centres was established to work alongside the local communities in areas of poverty, to meet the devastating physical, medical, job creation, educational and social needs of these communities. When Xylem Water Solutions South Africa heard about Emthonjeni’s valuable work within the Zandspruit-community, the company decided to come on board, along with the Rotary Club of Northcliff by upgrading the existing water infrastructure at Emthonjeni’s premises in Zandspruit.

“Xylem Water Solutions South Africa is constantly seeking out opportunities to work with best-in-class non-profit organisations to address the full spectrum of water challenges by providing support in the form of water technology, sanitation equipment and hygiene education. We saw an ideal opportunity with Emthonjeni Community Centres, where we could get involved in supplying water solutions that will contribute to this pivotal community service becoming self-sustainable,” says Heinrich Louw, Marketing Manager of Xylem Water Solutions South Africa.

“Clean water is the foundation of all sustainable development; this initiative will contribute to Emthonjeni’s vision of bringing sustainable change to the community of Zandspruit Informal Settlement, adds  Louise Rivett, Managing Director of Emthonjeni Community Centres.

The Rotary Club of Northcliff shares this sentiment. “Rotary International together with the Rotary Foundation and WASRAG (Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group) has been instrumental in providing clean drinking water and hygienic sanitation to communities around the world. Our informal settlements in South Africa are often characterised by inadequate basic services like the provision of clean drinking water and sanitation. This lack of water has profound implications for human development, which increases the risks of water borne diseases, health and the child mortality rate. We are excited and believe that this joint initiative with Xylem Water Solutions South Africa, Emthonjeni Community Centres and the Rotary Club of Northcliff could make a significant contribution towards food security, enhance academic performance and improve the health of the beneficiary schools. The combined efforts of our Government, the private sector, Rotary and the goodwill of individuals will go a long way in addressing the challenges in South Africa and the developing world and in our small way contribute to the provision of safe drinking water and hygienic sanitation to communities that are in dire need of this basic right,” says Dean Gounden, President of the Rotary Club of Northcliff.

World Water Day sees the official kick-off of the first phase of this newly formed working relationship. Community members from Zandspruit will be hosted at Emthonjeni’s premises in Zandspruit to celebrate World Water Day, South African Water Week and the partnership between Xylem, Emthonjeni and the Rotary Club of Northcliff on the 22^nd of March. A hygiene workshop for community members was presented in cooperation with the City of Johannesburg, along with a very special performance by the world-renowned and two-time Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir.

Parents and children from Zandspruit Informal Settlement joined Xylem Water Solutions South Africa, Emthonjeni and the Rotary Club of Northcliff as they celebrated the beginning of a journey that will better the lives of the community living in Zandspruit.

About Xylem

Xylem (NYSE: XYL) is a leading global water technology provider, enabling customers to transport, treat, test and efficiently use water in public utility, residential and commercial building services, industrial and agricultural settings. The company does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands, and its people bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on finding local solutions to the world’s most challenging water and wastewater problems. Xylem is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., with 2012 annual revenues of $3.8 billion and 12,500 employees worldwide. In 2012, Xylem was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for advancing sustainable business practices and solutions worldwide.

The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all — that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit us at www.xyleminc.com.

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