Manchester City Football Club has teamed up with official water technology partner Xylem for a second year to build two new sustainable clean water towers in Bangalore, India with the help of volunteer fans.
As part of the club’s Cityzens Giving project, five Manchester City fans from across India joined Xylem employees and former player Paul Dickov to deliver access to clean water and sanitation to two new schools.
The Water Goals project, supported by Manchester City and Xylem Watermark, saw fans work with Xylem and their local partner Planet Water Foundation to install new clean water filtration towers in two new schools. The schools were also fitted with an AquaSan latrine sanitisation system, to sanitise school toilets.
Since January 2019, Water Goals has trained 100 Young Leaders and reached over 5000 participants and young people in 26 locations, with support from local partner Magic Bus.
The City fans also joined up with young leaders from the Cityzens Giving project to find out how they use football to educate young people about the importance of water sanitation and hygiene.
“We are inspired by the impact of this second fan volunteering trip in Bangalore, bringing together Xylem’s expertise in clean water with the passion of City fans across India to make a difference in local communities,” said Tom Pitchon, director of City Football Foundation. “This, coupled with the long-term impact of our existing Cityzens Giving project in Bangalore, continues to demonstrate that football can truly help tackle social issues around the world.”
“Our business and our mission are all about bringing the best technology to bear on solving the world’s most challenging water issues,” said Joe Vesey, SVP and chief marketing officer of Xylem. “It’s so rewarding to do that in partnership with Manchester City fans, through Cityzens Giving we’re bringing safe water and sanitation to thousands of students across Bangalore. This will have a huge impact on their health, on their education, and on their futures.”