How rural communities are reaping the rewards of clean water access

Just 20 minutes from the Kruger Gate Hotel, in the heart of Mpumalanga, thousands of community members in rural villages are gaining access to something that many take for granted: clean, reliable water.

- Kruger Gate Hotel

Through a strategic partnership with nonprofit organisation Innovation Africa, and with the support of the Cork Trust, Kruger Gate Hotel is helping to fund and facilitate solar-powered water systems that provide a lifeline to families who have long relied on river water or distant, seasonal wells.

With approximately 90% of the hotel’s staff residing in the surrounding villages, the team became acutely aware of the daily challenges faced by these communities, particularly the water scarcity that forces women and children to walk long distances for a single bucket of often unsafe water.

LOCAL INSIGHT

These journeys not only pose serious health risks, but also place individuals in vulnerable situations. This local insight was a key driver behind the hotel's involvement in the project; a commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of the people who form the heart of the community.

One of the most impactful projects to date has taken place in the twin villages of Belfast Borhana 1 and Belfast Borhana. These neighbouring communities, with a combined population of over 6 000 people, were selected for a cluster project; an innovative model that allows a high-yielding borehole drilled in one village to supply water to both.