Community Water Alliance

16/06/2026

COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE STATEMENT ON THE DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD 2026

16 June 2026

Today, Community Water Alliance (CWA) joins the rest of Africa in commemorating the Day of the African Child, a day that honours the courage and sacrifice of the children of Soweto who stood up for their rights in 1976, while reminding us of our collective responsibility to create a better future for every African child.

This year's theme, "Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa," is particularly relevant to the work and mission of Community Water Alliance. The theme recognizes that access to safe water, adequate sanitation and proper hygiene is not a privilege, but a fundamental right that is essential for the survival, health, dignity, education and development of every child.

As an organization dedicated to advancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Climate Justice, and Environmental Sustainability, CWA understands that children are among the most affected by water shortages, pollution, poor sanitation and climate change. Across Zimbabwe and Africa, many children still walk long distances in search of water, miss school due to inadequate sanitation facilities and face increased health risks from waterborne diseases and climate-induced disasters.

The 2026 Day of the African Child theme aligns closely with CWA's work in:

Promoting universal access to safe and affordable water for communities and schools;
1. Advocating for improved sanitation and hygiene services that protect children's health and dignity;

2. Advancing climate resilience and climate justice, recognizing that droughts, floods and environmental degradation disproportionately affect children;

3. Protecting the environment and water sources to ensure sustainable access to water for present and future generations.

On this important day, Community Water Alliance calls upon government institutions, local authorities, development partners, communities and citizens to prioritize child-centred investments in water, sanitation, climate adaptation and environmental protection. Every child deserves clean water to drink, safe sanitation facilities, a healthy environment and the opportunity to grow, learn and thrive.

As we commemorate the Day of the African Child, let us renew our commitment to building a Zimbabwe and an Africa where no child is left behind because of lack of water, sanitation, hygiene, or a safe environment.

Water is life. Water is a right. Every child matters.

Happy Day of the African Child!

COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

06/06/2026

05/06/2026

CWA WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY STATEMENT

05/06/2026

Today, Community Water Alliance joins the rest of the world in commemorating World Environment Day running under the theme "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future". This year’s theme reminds us that the health of our environment is directly tied to the future we build and the action that starts with us.

The theme emphasizes learning from nature’s ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and oceans as effective solutions for climate resilience. It calls for urgent action to address climate change by protecting and restoring natural carbon sinks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving beyond promises to concrete action. The theme also promotes renewable energy and circular, waste-free systems, highlighting that healthy ecosystems are essential for a sustainable, climate resilient future and the long-term survival of humanity.

At Community Water Alliance, our actions have a strong focus on 3 key program areas, namely WASH, Environment and Climate.

Under the Environment pillar, we focus on waste management and presentation of wetlands while on Climate, our focus and actions are centered on resilience, mitigation and adaptation.

On Waste Management, CWA is advocating for the adoption of the 4R model (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover) than the Collect, Transport and Throw away approach that most local authorities are using in Zimbabwe. The collect transport and throw-away approach has proved to be a failure as it promotes centralized landfills where greenhouse gases like methane are generated and have a negative impact on climate change.

On Wetlands, CWA focuses on the protection and preservation of the natural water infrastructure, which plays a key role in reducing the impacts of climate change through offering the following services:
1. Wetlands provides carbon sequestration services
2. They recharge streams that feed into main water bodies like Lake Chivero in Harare.
3. They provide floods attenuation services.
4. They purify raw water free of charge among other services.

CWA has been fostering for accountability and responsibility on mining in Zimbabwe. CWA believes that the mining activities should be conducted in an environmentally friendly manner, ensuring there is no environmental degradation, contamination of water sources and get rid of all forms of pollution within mining communities.

Community Water Alliance’s climate-smart agriculture initiatives align closely with this year’s World Environment Day theme by promoting nature-based solutions that improve environmental sustainability and community resilience. Through practices such as composting using Black Soldier Fly technology, water conservation through installation solar powered boreholes and drip irrigation for smallholder women farmers as well as sustainable waste management through waste recycling. CWA helps restore soil health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, enhance biodiversity and strengthen food security. These efforts demonstrate how working with nature can address climate challenges while creating a more sustainable and resilient future.

CWA call for everyone to protect wetlands, adopt good Solid Waste Management practices at household level and demand accountability in mining.

Join us today as we take action in our communities. Small steps add up to a big change.



What action will you take for our environment today?

COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

22/05/2026

Community Water Alliance board member Mr Reuben Akili today, giving closing remarks during the week long training on Environmental Sanitation and Safe Chlorination for Drinking Water held in Harare. The trainings were conducted by CWA in partnership the African Manzi Center (AFMAC) from Zambia 🇿🇲.

21/05/2026

City of Harare Glenview District Officer, Mr. Mpingashato expressing appreciation for the training conducted by Community Water Alliance in partnership with AFMAC.

We appreciate the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation for providing resources to support this training.

20/05/2026

🌍♻️ FROM WASTE TO WEALTH: AFMAC WORKSHOP IGNITES NEW DRIVE FOR SUSTAINABLE SANITATION IN GLEN VIEW ♻️🌍

20/05/2026

The Africa Manzi Centre (AFMAC), in partnership with CAWST and Community Water Alliance, continues to champion sustainable environmental sanitation and safe water management across communities.

Today’s workshop on waste segregation at source brought together community stakeholders, residents, local authorities and sanitation practitioners in Glen View for practical learning on integrated solid waste management. Participants conducted a hands-on litter collection and waste classification exercise focusing on recycling, composting of biodegradable waste and proper waste disposal systems.

Facilitated by Samson Sakala and Elijah Mutafya, the workshop highlighted the urgent need for strengthened public awareness on sustainable waste management, environmental hygiene and resource recovery systems.

Community Water Alliance WASH Officer Joyline Nyachuru noted that the training complements the ongoing UN-Habitat-supported waste management project in Glen View, which is promoting door-to-door waste collection, household waste separation and improved environmental sanitation practices.

Participants also discussed challenges affecting waste management, including inadequate refuse collection, illegal dumping and the indiscriminate disposal of pampers and sanitary waste, which pose serious public health risks through the spread of disease vectors and pathogens.

Through partnerships and community-driven interventions, AFMAC, CAWST and Community Water Alliance remain committed to advancing safe chlorination of drinking water, environmental sanitation, hygiene promotion and climate-resilient community health systems across Zimbabwe and the African continent.



COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

21/04/2026

FROM WASTE TO WEALTH: CWA LAUNCHES A MASSIVE DOOR-TO-DOOR AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IN GLENVIEW AND BUDIRIRO.

21/04/2026

Community Water Alliance (CWA),today,conducted a successful door-to-door awareness and training campaign in Glenview, covering areas from 100 Crescent to 103 Crescent in Ward 30. Through this initiative, CWA reached an impressive 225 households and engaged 1,171 citizens.

The campaign focused on introducing the community to a new, innovative project centered on Black Soldier Fly (BSF) technology, as well as promoting the importance of waste separation at source. Citizens were empowered with knowledge on how sustainable waste management practices can transform waste into valuable resources while improving environmental and public health outcomes.

CWA remains committed to working closely with communities to drive inclusive, practical solutions for waste management and sustainable development.

The program is held under the Harare Sustainable Cities Initiative project supported by UN-HABITAT.

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COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

22/03/2026

WORLD WATER DAY STATEMENT – COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE (CWA)

22/03/2026

As we commemorate World Water Day 2026, under the theme “Water and Gender” “Where Water Flows, Equality Grows" Community Water Alliance calls for urgent, bold and practical action to address Harare’s ongoing water crisis, while recognizing the disproportionate burden that water challenges place on women and girls.

Across many communities, women and girls spend hours each day searching for water, often exposing themselves to safety risks and limiting opportunities for education, livelihoods, and personal development. Improving access to safe, reliable water is therefore not only a service delivery issue, but it is a matter of equality, dignity and empowerment.

Harare has the infrastructure with the capacity to produce 704 megalitres of water per day while the daily demand of 1,200 megalitres per day is required. Due to pollution, inefficiencies and poor investment priorities, the city is currently producing almost half of its capacity. Even more concerning, 60% of this treated being produced water is lost as Non-Revenue Water, meaning it never reaches households or contributes to sustaining the system.

From our work across Harare, Epworth, Ruwa and Chitungwiza ranging from emergency WASH responses to community hygiene education and water governance advocacy, we have seen that the crisis is not only about supply, but about how water is managed, protected and financed.

The ongoing USD400 million water investment loan presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform water access. However, current priorities particularly the heavy focus on prepaid water meters risk missing the real issues affecting water availability and gender equality outcomes.

We therefore call for a strategic shift in focus towards three key priorities:

1) Fixing water losses (40%)
A significant portion of treated water is lost through burst pipes and leakages. Investing in the broader rehabilitation of the 5,000km water distribution network will immediately increase water reaching households, reducing the burden on women and girls.

2) Restoring sewer treatment systems
Over 80% of water pollution is linked to failing sewer infrastructure. Rehabilitating sewer treatment plants will reduce contamination of key water sources like Lake Chivero, lower treatment costs and improve overall water supply.

3) Ring-fencing water account:
Water is the backbone of the City’s revenue. Ensuring that all water income is reinvested into water and sanitation services is critical for long-term sustainability and improved service delivery.

Communities are ready to play their part. However, they need a system that is fair, transparent and delivers reliable water. Without addressing leakages, pollution, and financial management, investments will not yield the desired results.

Every drop of water lost is a missed opportunity for a household, a school, a clinic and especially for women and girls whose daily lives are most affected by water insecurity.

On this World Water Day, we urge Government, policymakers and the City of Harare to prioritize solutions that increase actual water reaching people not just infrastructure that looks good on paper whilst benefitting a few individuals.

Where water flows, equality grows.



COMMUNITY WATER ALLIANCE INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

12/03/2026