In many South African townships, clean water is unreliable. Municipal supply runs dry for weeks, and families walk long distances with heavy containers. Even when available, water isn’t always safe. Children suffer most, with missing school and risking disease. Action Change in partnership with Waste Secure is bringing low-cost, sustainable water systems to improve access, hygiene, and health, offering dignity, opportunity, and a better future.

Township communities in South Africa face a daily crisis of no reliable water. Municipal taps run dry for weeks, and when water flows, it’s often unsafe. Families walk far with heavy containers for basic needs. Children miss school, face dehydration, and disease. Informal settlements suffer most, lacking space and infrastructure. We’re stepping in with simple, sustainable solutions to break this cycle where it’s needed most

We’re building simple, community-led water systems that work now and in the future. In Cape Town’s wet season, we collect rain from rooftops and store it in JoJo tanks, with extra water saved in underground bladders for dry months. We also capture wasted municipal water from leaking taps. These low-cost, easy-to-maintain systems bring safe water closer to home for cooking, washing, and hygiene, helping communities stay healthy and prepared year-round.

This project is about more than water, it’s about change. With rainwater systems, families aren’t stuck waiting on broken municipal taps. Kids can stay in school, hygiene gets better, and daily stress eases. Communities learn to care for the systems themselves, turning clean water into a normal part of life. Your support helps us install tanks, train locals, and give families real control over their water and their future.

Project Update: Launching Our First Community Water System in Ocean View

We’re thrilled to share exciting progress on our journey to bring sustainable water access to off-grid communities across South Africa!

Thanks to the generous support of our donors and a growing network of partners, we have officially launched the first phase of our water access program—starting in one of the most vulnerable communities in Ocean View.

Collaborative Research and Community Engagement

Earlier this year, we welcomed a group of passionate students from Ohio State University’s Fisher School of Business who joined us on the ground to better understand the day-to-day struggles of accessing water in informal township communities. Together with our local partner, WasteSecure, and dedicated community members, we conducted interviews, site visits, and needs assessments across several areas.

What became clear is that every township has its own unique challenges—from infrastructure and geography to community structure and government service availability. This insight has helped us shape a flexible and responsive program model that will adapt to each community we serve.

Ocean View: Our First Site

We are beginning in a hillside settlement in Ocean View, home to around 60 informal shacks, with an average of six people living in each. The community lives atop a steep mountain slope, accessible only on foot, with no formal sanitation, no household water access, and only one government tap at the bottom of the mountain serving everyone.

Given these extreme conditions, this community is now our top priority.

Tangible Progress: Tanks Secured

With the support of donations and our partners at Ohio State and WasteSecure, we’ve now secured three large water storage tanks with a combined capacity of 7,500 litres. These tanks will form the foundation of a decentralized com

munity water system that provides closer, safer access to clean water.

Next Steps: We Need Your Help

We are now actively fundraising 20,000 ZAR (approx. $1,050 USD) to complete the build-out of the full water access system for the Ocean View community. This includes:

• A platform and support structure for the tanks

• Piping and basic filtration system

• Communal access taps placed closer to where people live

• Training for local residents on maintenance and upkeep

This system will be shared by the entire community, reducing the burden of carrying heavy water uphill, improving health, and restoring dignity.