Harvesting Hope

Community Water Access Programme

Free State, South Africa

Dignity flows when water does.

Through a community-led initiative centred on simple, sustainable rainwater harvesting systems and empowered local leadership, we are transforming lives, restoring essential access and dignity, one tank and one community at a time.

The challenge

In many rural communities, access to clean, consistent water remains limited or entirely nonexistent. Without basic infrastructure, families are often forced to rely on unsafe or distant water sources.

This profound challenge severely compromises public health, constrains educational and economic opportunities, and erodes community independence.

Our response

After a local household lost its roof in a storm, a prototype rainwater catchment system was installed using gutters and a water harvesting tank (locally known as a JoJo tank). It worked. This success became the foundation for our simple, scalable model for water security. This community-led programme, guided by a retired town planner, has now expanded to five rural communities, giving them immediate access to safe water, building local strength, and helping them manage their water sustainably.

174

water tanks installed.

9,120

people now have reliable water access.

1,830

households reached.

Local leaders have also been mobilised to manage and scale the initiative.

What's next?

We're not stopping here! We're actively working to expand our water programme, bringing vital access to even more households and deepening our impact across South Africa.

“What struck me at the Ezenzeleni community meeting, where the rain water tank project originated some years ago, was the palpable mutual trust and respect between the DT project manager and the community leaders. It truly felt like a meeting of humans who care for each other.”

Dr Jean Cooper