Acqua for Life, Armani’s global water initiative focusing on universal access to drinking water in water-scarce regions, supports a project in South Africa with an exhibition in Johannesburg From April 20th to 27th at Nirox Sculpture Park. A series of portraits of people who have been positively impacted by the Acqua for Life program in South Africa will be displayed to show the concrete impact of access to water in people’s lives. Through this initiative, Armani aims to raise awareness about water scarcity, as by 2025, half of the world’s population could be living in water-stressed areas.

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT WATER SCARCITY 

The exhibition unveils authentic, transparent, and optimistic portraits of people positively impacted by an Acqua for Life project in South Africa. The South African artists Justice and Fhatuwani Mukheli – with the help of videographers, Simba, and Wesley Takaedza, shine a light on the concrete impact that Acqua for Life projects have had on the Mamburu and Maangane villages, with a series of portraits of those who live there. These portraits illustrate how access to water allows people to flourish, enhancing the intrinsic connection between water and life. 

A CONCRETE IMPACT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Today over 3 million people in South Africa still do not have access to basic water supply services2, and only 64% of households have access to a reliable water supply3. Since 2022, with the help of its strategic partner WaterAid, Acqua for Life has helped over 2,800 people to widen access to clean water in the Mamburu and Maangane villages, within Makhado Local Municipality in the Vhembe district of Limpopo Province.

ACQUA FOR LIFE – AN ENDURING AND IMPACTFUL COMMITMENT 

Today, more than 2 billion people lack access to a safely managed water supply and 1 in 10 do not have access to clean water close to home4.

Acqua for Life was created in 2010, the same year that the United Nations recognized the right to water and sanitation as a human right and focusses on delivering universal access to drinking water in water-scarce regions. As of today, Acqua for Life has invested more than 14 million euros in water projects across 23 countries, which has helped over 590,000 people worldwide1. By 2030, Armani beauty aims to be a source of clean water for 1 million people.

Acqua for Life takes a comprehensive approach to the issues of clean water, hygiene, sanitation, and education. Its principal values encompass two key areas: firstly, undertaking activities that include the installation of water points, latrines, rainwater collection, water filtering, and water purification systems. Secondly, taking a sustainable approach to projects, including education for the community in WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) behavior and empowering communities to sustain Acqua for Life projects in the long term.

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Resources:

1. Donations include Green Cross International, Unicef USA, WaterAid and Water.org figures for the Acqua for Life program between 2010 and 2023. Beneficiaries include Green Cross International, Unicef USA, WaterAid and Water.org figures between 2011 and 2023.
2. Resource link: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/goal-06/#:~:text=The proportion of the global,a basic level of service.
3. Resource link: https://www.wateraid.org/facts-and-statistics
4. Resource link: https://www.dws.gov.za/National Water and Sanitation Master Plan/Documents/NWSMP(Master Plan) Call to Action v10.1.pdf