Earlier this season, Cityzens Giving and Xylem announced the expansion of Water Heroes Academy – a global network of ten projects to educate and inspire young leaders to tackle water challenges in their communities using the power of football.
In November, five of these projects in Buenos Aires, Cape Coast, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and Mexico City, were spotlighted on Manchester City channels and fans were asked to vote for the project that inspired them the most. And after thousands of votes, Cape Coast came out on top, winning the trip of a lifetime to Manchester.
Our Water Heroes from Cape Coast visited Manchester for a week of learning and inspiration in leadership, community football and water sustainability, topped off with the opportunity to watch Manchester City lift the Premier League trophy in the final home game of the season against Chelsea.
A highlight of their week was a surprise reunion with City legend Joleon Lescott, who visited Cape Coast in February, joining forces with the fans from the South Ghana Official Supporters Club and Xylem volunteers to build two new water filtration towers in the community.
During their experience, the young leaders also took part in WASH & Football sessions with City coaches, interactive workshops with Xylem experts, and a sustainability tour of the Etihad Campus, learning about the latest innovations in water conservation with CFG’s Director of Sustainability.
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Speaking about their visit, Diana, a Young Leader from Play Soccer Ghana said: “This trip is like a dream come true. It was my first time in a plane, and I was very excited to come to Manchester. The activities have been so fun and engaging, and watching City play at the Etihad Stadium was amazing. I’m looking forward to taking my learnings back home to Cape Coast.”
“We’re thrilled to have another cohort of inspiring Water Heroes Academy teams,” said Randolf Waters, Xylem’s Sr. Director of Global Partnerships & Branding.
“These projects are delivering real impact for their communities across health, education, and mental wellbeing. All of us at Xylem are proud of the young leaders, and grateful to partner with Cityzens Giving and our local NGOs in making this program possible.
Congratulations to Cape Coast and we hope you have enjoyed your trip to Manchester!”
Xylem Water Heroes Academy has to date reached over 10,000 young people in 10 cities with vital water education through football.
