It only costs $50 to give the life-saving gift of weekly swimming lessons for a year to a child at the Love to Langa Swimming Academy in Philippi Township, South Africa.

The Love to Langa Swimming Academy is located at Philippi Children’s Centre, where less than half of the students are currently able to take advantage of lessons. We sponsor 20 children, but there are many more who need your help. We are having a Facebook fundraiser in the hope of raising enough to sponsor 50 additional children to have lessons.

Thankfully, Philippi Children’s Centre has a borehole water well and a recycling system, which allows our pool to operate unaffected by the Cape Town water crisis.

Please join us in providing the gift of swimming to as many children as possible!

Many thanks to noted artist Freya Willemoes-Wissing, British volunteers Annie Doble, Brogan Garrit-Smith and Coach Craig for their beautiful murals at the Love to Langa Swimming Academy!

From Annie: “What Love to Langa has achieved in 8 short years is profound. It has changed the lives of so many children, Their swimming program is such an important concept to be able to teach these children and adults in the surrounding townships to swim, where normally this wouldn’t be an option. It made me feel very proud to be able to help Kissmea and her team, she is an extraordinary person with great determination and a heart of gold. I can’t wait to be back in Cape Town and continue on our mission! Thank you for letting me help you guys.”

From Brogan: “When traveling in Cape Town, I had the absolute pleasure of volunteering down at Love to Langa. Watching how the children are cared for with such love, support and enthusiasm was so heart warming. The staff are beyond amazing, creating a safe and loving environment for the children. It’s simply outstanding how this charity is run. I met with Kissmea who I must say is like an angel in human form- her sheer dedication to Love to Langa goes beyond measures and she truly cares about each and every child. I found it so heartwarming to see a genuine charity that’s children’s needs were at the heart of their campaign (unlike many others.) So, I ask you guys to dig deep and here love to Langa on their mission!”
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Annie and Brogan were so inspired by our work, that they started a GoFundMe for us!

As you have probably heard, Cape Town has been suffering under three years of unprecedented drought and currently has less than 90 days worth of water in its reservoirs. Residents have been asked to drastically cut back on water usage in the hopes of preventing Day Zero – sometime in April when the taps will run dry! City officials have decided that once the dams reach 13.5% capacity, the municipal water supply will be turned off for all but essential services, like hospitals.

Swimming pools are being closed daily and people are not allowed to top up their pools. Many schools and households have not made allowances to recycle or store water. Households are limited to 50 litres of water per person per day.

For schools that have not made adequate provisions for their pools, it’s a sad day for them to have to close. Water safety has become a part of many school curriculums as it is an essential life skill.

What does this mean for our projects, especially our Love to Langa Swimming Academy, when the filling of swimming pools with municipal water has been prohibited?

In 2014, we embarked on the ambitious endeavor to build a learn to swim indoor pool at Philippi Children’s Centre.

We wanted the following:

• an indoor, heated learn to swim pool due to reports of children drowning in local dams.
• to launch with an established swim school running our Swim Academy, training community members to eventually run our pool. The aim was and always will be to empower previously disadvantaged individuals.
• scholarships for any children who cannot afford swimming lessons.

Before we committed to the Swimming Academy, we did a lot of research. Was this a viable project? Kissmea Adams, our project manager in Cape Town heard rumblings of water being an issue although at the time there was no mention of Day Zero. A site visit to Philippi Children’s Centre proved positive when the borehole on the property was viewed. This was what the project needed to sustain itself if there was a drought.

What is a borehole?

A borehole used as a water well is completed by installing a vertical pipe (casing) and a well screen to keep the borehole from caving. This also helps prevent surface contaminants from entering the borehole and protects any installed pump from drawing in sand and sediment.

When we filled the Love to Langa Swimming Academy pool the first time, borehole water was used and it will be topped off with borehole water going forward.

Philippi Children’s Centre also has a Lilliput Sewage and Wastewater Treatment system at the school. Lilliput saves on water usage by using recycled water for flushing, irrigation, car washing and filling swimming pools and water features.

Current Love to Langa Swimming Academy Water-Saving Measures:

• No showers after swimming.
• The toilets will not be flushed – borehole water will be used to flush toilets.
• Hand sanitizer after using the toilet.

Most of the students in our schools live in shacks with no running water to begin with and must access a community tap, which we understand is not currently under ration. The situation is changing rapidly and we will be keeping a close eye on it and dearly hope and pray that our actions, along with those of countless others in Cape Town, will help alleviate this crisis until solutions can be implemented.