I AM WATER’s contribution to the campaign will be focused on getting more under-resourced children connected to the ocean and aware of marine conservation, by letting them experience the sea firsthand.
Western Cape, South Africa (09 March 2021) – Cape Town-based environmental non-profit organization, I AM WATER, has partnered with renowned sports foundation, Beyond Sport, and five other international sporting organisations, in a global, “Sport for Climate Action Collective Impact Campaign”, using sport to raise awareness about key environmental issues and sustainability.
Each of the organisations involved will run a campaign that contributes to the greater goals in terms of their sporting code in their respective countries.
I AM WATER will drive an awareness and fundraising campaign from South Africa, that includes a call to members of the public to sponsor children from low-resourced coastal communities, to participate in I AM WATER’s conservation and snorkel workshops.
I AM WATER’s contribution to the campaign will be focused on getting more under-resourced children connected to the ocean and aware of marine conservation, by letting them experience the sea firsthand.
“We take sponsored learners on our two-day Ocean Guardians snorkelling workshops to spark a connection and love for the sea and its creatures, inspiring participants to be more conservation-minded and to want to take care of the oceans,” says Hanli Prinsloo, freediver and founder of I AM WATER.
“We feel especially passionate about working with low-resourced, low-income, coastal communities where, despite living walking distance to the shoreline, we often find young people who have never seen the world just beneath the waves,” says Prinsloo.
“Sport is a powerful tool for positive social change in communities around the world. Sports are also impacted by climate change and in turn can galvanise action to counter the associated negative environmental impacts of human behaviour in their fans and participants.”
I AM WATER, the only South African organisation chosen to participate in the global campaign, is specifically focused on using ocean experiences and education linked to creating awareness about marine conservation in relation to issues such as pollution, poaching, and climate change.