From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.

Sashnee Moodley:

Social enterprise Kusini Water is accelerating its Water Champions programme to train unemployed youth and unlock economic opportunities in communities, as it works to provide water access across South Africa. Natasha Odendaal tells us more.

Natasha Odendaal:

The 2023 edition of the Water Champions programme, a hybrid skills development programme, is designed to give technical training to 100 young individuals, equipping them water-related technical skills and providing them with a NQF Level 2 accreditation in the basics of water technology and treatment.

This programme also aims to improve economic participation by training the youth to own and run water kiosks.

The aim is to mitigate one of the biggest challenges in rural water economics: the financial and operational sustainability of water projects.

Kusini Water founder and CEO Murendeni Mafumo:

Natasha Odendaal:

For each province, the top 10 successful candidates will be participating online in the first half of the bootcamp. Of this, four candidates will be then selected to join the in-person bootcamp where they will be trained further and receive a grant to start and run their own water kiosk in their own community, particularly at points of use in schools, clinics and other important facilities within communities affected by lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

This also provides the opportunity for an additional 100 jobs as the Water Champions requires a technical support team.

Kusini Water founder and CEO Murendeni Mafumo:

Natasha Odendaal:

The group, which moved to new, larger premises in Riversands, Gauteng, early in April, has collaborated with various local and global enterprises since 2016 to provide water access at over 50 locations, which are used to gather and treat five-million litres of water each month.

The firm builds water treatment systems from nanotechnology and macadamia nut shells to bring clean, safe drinking water to people in rural, peri-urban and informal settlements.

Kusini Water founder and CEO Murendeni Mafumo:

Sashnee Moodley:

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy. Don’t forget to listen to the audio version of our Engineering News daily email newsletter.