Water for All project changes the lives of KZN school children

While many areas of South Africa continue to battle with a shortage of water, numerous projects and relief efforts have helped to make the situation a little easier. One of the latest efforts is from Atlas Copco, a leading provider of sustainable industrial productivity solutions.

It operates the Water for All project, which finances the installation of infrastructure and facilities that promote accessibility to clean water for disadvantaged communities in the rural areas. Te latest beneficiaries of this remarkable initiative are learners from the Mhlazane Primary School in Rorke’s Drift, KwaZulu-Natal.

Water for All is Atlas Copco’s primary community engagement initiative, founded by Atlas Copco employees in Sweden 31 years ago. The project was first introduced locally to the Rorke’s Drift area in 2011 and commenced with the drilling of three boreholes by Atlas Copco, in association with local NGO the David Rattray Foundation.

Before the boreholes were constructed, the school’s 465 learners used to collect water from the river or depended on rainwater harvested in Jojo tanks.

On 13 November 2015, a delegation of eight Atlas Copco board members visited Mhlazane Primary School to witness the project’s efforts and growth in South Africa.

“This is an exceptional experience, which has opened the eyes of the board members to a region that has not has any rainfall since April,” said Peter Wallenberg Jr, whose father helped start the initiative back in 1984.

“Given the protracted drought that is gripping large regions of southern Africa, the importance of this project cannot be overstated,” noted Kgothatso Ntsie, Atlas Copco South Africa’s corporate communications manager, South and sub-Sahara Africa.

“Water gives life and the Water for All project is making a difference in the lives of many people, and is also in line with Atlas Copco’s commitment to sustainable productivity through standing by our responsibilities towards our customers, our environment and the people around us.”

To learn more about Water for All and the Peter Wallenberg Water for All Fund, click here.