Bringing water to where it is most needed

Water is a scarce and precious commodity, and access to reliable and clean source is a basic human right. Unfortunately, many communities around South Africa must do without this essential resource.For this reason, Volvo Trucks South Africa has donated two FMX trucks to the SOS Water on Wheels project in the Western Cape, to bring water and sanitation right to communities’ doorsteps.

SOS NPO supports under-privileged communities and schools within the water and sanitation hygiene space (WASH). They collaborate with community stakeholders, government, and businesses to provide additional water, sanitation and hygiene sources and solutions, as well as providing non-portable water, transportation, and infrastructure.

It addresses sanitation, hygiene, climate change and education around these issues. We also focus on economic female empowerment and create local job opportunities wherever possible within our on-site project teams.

For this reason, two female drivers have been appointed by SOS NPO to operate the vehicles, and they will undergo an extensive four-month driver training through Volvo Trucks’ Iron Women programme. Volvo Trucks have been involved with the SOS project since 2018, and the two trucks transport water, food and materials needed to schools and communities around the Western Cape.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project has expanded to provide essential sanitation stations to curb the spread of the virus in areas where it was most needed.“We are very humbled that, with the support of Volvo Group global, we are now able to donate these vehicles to SOS. We trust that reliable transport will
continue to make a tangible difference in the efforts of this very worthy organisation,” said Marcus Hörberg, vice president of Volvo Group Southern Africa. “At Volvo Trucks we believe that transport can drive prosperity, and we feel grateful that our trucks can impact the lives of many in this way.”

The donation of the vehicles also includes a two-year Blue service contract. Many of SOS NPO’s project sites are located close to the Volvo Trucks branch in Cape Town, which makes it ideal for the team to provide support when
needed.

“The news of the donation was the best we could wish for,” said Shelley Humphreys, executive director of SOS NPO. “We value our partnership with Volvo Trucks and the Water on Wheels project is truly an example to inspire
others.”