Building a Water‑Justice Toolkit Together in Cape Town

In South Africa’s largest city, the history of unfair rule still shows up in who gets clean water and safe toilets. Old rules from colonial times and apartheid mean that some neighbourhoods, especially those on the outskirts, have weaker water pipes and fewer public bathrooms. The problem is not only about water itself; it also involves money, housing, gender roles, violence against women, land disputes, racism, and the treatment of people who are LGBTQ+. These problems mix together to keep many people from having reliable, clean water. Because of this complexity, a group of activists decided to make a new kind of guide that looks at all these issues together. They brought people who fight for water rights, women’s rights, housing rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and racial justice into one project. The team used a lot of different ways to talk with the community: walking interviews that were filmed, focus groups, art‑based workshops, and open conversations. The result is a set of modular tools that help people learn about the many layers of injustice, build friendships across movements, and push for change.The toolkit includes discussion sheets, art projects, songs, and role‑play games that let participants share their own stories. A short film called “Its Ebbs and Flows” was also made to show real people’s experiences with water problems, using pictures and spoken words in several languages. The film is meant to give a voice to those who usually stay silent. The creators think that using art and community input can make health programs more useful for everyone. By valuing what local people know and how they express themselves, the toolkit shows who should be trusted when deciding how to move forward. It also offers a template that can be used in other places where climate change threatens water supplies.