Since early 2019, ‘Water Goals’, delivered by local partner Magic Bus India Foundation, has trained 200 Young Leaders who in turn have provided vital football-based education about the importance of clean water and sanitation to 10,140 kids in 26 locations across the city.
Throughout the pandemic, Young Leaders continued to deliver remote education and vital tips on hand-washing and staying safe, reaching over 5,000 kids and their families in 2020.
Despite being one of the world’s fastest growing cities, many of Bangalore’s 12.3 million residents still do not have access to clean drinking water and are at risk of contracting water-borne diseases.
As well as using the unique power of football to engage kids with key hygiene messages, the project has benefitted from the expertise of leading global water technology company, Xylem, and their local partner Planet Water Foundation, through the installation of four water filtration towers in four schools to provide clean drinking water for their communities.
Two water towers were installed in February 2019 and a further two in February 2020, with support from City fans, Club legend Paul Dickov and Xylem volunteers.
Localised lockdowns forced school closures in Bangalore and a switch to online education outreach from the ‘Water Goals’ project. However, all four water towers are now once again fully accessible, providing clean water access for up to 1,800 people per tower each day.
Shashank, Magic Bus Young leader, “After the lockdown, I am glad that I am back on the field with Magic Bus delivering community activities and football sessions to local children. It also makes me happy to see that the children have access again to the clean water towers in school.”
Tom Pitchon, Director of City Football Foundation, said: “We are inspired by the impact of the ‘Water Goals’ project in Bangalore, bringing together Xylem’s water infrastructure with our community football know-how and the passion of City fans to make a difference in local communities.
“We look forward to continuing to work together to uplift young people in Bangalore and beyond.”
Joe Vesey, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Xylem, said: “Our mission at Xylem is to solve water and create economic and social value.
“We’re honoured to bring safe water and sanitation to thousands of students across Bangalore though our partnership with Cityzens Giving and Man City fans. This will have a huge impact on their health, on their education, and on their futures.”
