Driven by Purpose

In October 2023, our team of eight high school students came together with the hope of making a real difference in our community. We didn’t know exactly where to start, but we knew we wanted to make a positive impact. That’s how BLU was born: a student-led initiative focused on addressing SDG 6, Clean Water and Sanitation.

We began brainstorming issues affecting the world and exploring how we could tackle them locally. We discovered that rivers are the biggest source of plastic pollution in oceans. Given that Egypt is home to the Nile, the longest river in the world, we realized the country plays a major role in this crisis. In fact, 6.8 per cent of plastic in the Mediterranean Ocean flows in from the Nile. This really resonated with us because the Nile is where Egypt gets 90 per cent of its water supply.

Determined to take action, we went through a step-by-step design thinking process to understand and to address this challenge productively. During our discovery phase, we interviewed VeryNile, an NGO working to remove plastic pollution from the Nile and recycle it. At the time, VeryNile was opening a new facility in Asyut, and the fishermen they employed needed better boats to collect plastic waste and support their work. We decided this was the perfect place to focus our efforts.

We decided to engage more students to raise awareness, inspire them to take action and mobilize our efforts to tackle SDG 6 in an impactful manner. With this in mind, we launched the BLU relay high school kayak race – a fun and engaging way to bring students together to race for this important cause. Our goal was to reconnect young people with the Nile, reminding everyone of not only its cultural importance but also its impact on the climate and the urgent need to protect our planet.

The event was a huge success, with around 100 students participating and watching.

Thanks to the incredible support we received, we were able to raise enough funds to provide 12 new boats for the fishermen. These boats help the fishermen collect plastic from the Nile and provide them with a source of income through the plastic they collect and sell to VeryNile to be recycled. 

After the race, we travelled to Asyut to visit the new VeryNile facility, where we spent time with local children, organized a fun day to paint the fishermen’s boats, and learned about the recycling process. Seeing the results of our efforts firsthand was an experience we’ll never forget. We were motivated to continue our initiative.

For the second edition of BLU, we wanted to go even bigger. We added more students to our team and set a new goal on a larger scale for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation). This time, we sought the right cause to support, and when we connected with UNICEF, we knew we had found the perfect opportunity.

We chose to support UNICEF’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme because of its long-term, sustainable impact.

Today, 7.3 million people in Egypt still lack access to clean water, with many families in Upper Egypt—including Minya, Asyut, Fayoum, and Aswan—most affected. This issue stood out to us because of the large number of people impacted.

The lack of clean water causes serious health risks like diarrhea (a leading cause of death in children under 5 years). While these health risks are alarming, they are not the only consequences communities face. This is also a matter of social equity, where it is vital to close the gap between underserved communities and resources that are essential for life. Economic hardship and water scarcity go hand in hand, impacting education, employment opportunities, and overall well-being. The effects are far-reaching, creating cycles of poverty that are difficult to break. We set out to find ways in which we could empower communities with better health, stronger livelihoods, and brighter futures.

UNICEF’s mission perfectly aligns with ours: rather than providing short-term fixes, they focus on sustainable solutions. As a small initiative aiming for big change, we needed a partner who could help us maximize our reach and effectiveness. The WASH programme tackled critical issues we deeply cared about and gave us a clear pathway to support underserved families—far beyond what we had initially imagined.

What stood out to us was how the WASH programme relied on a revolving fund system to keep it sustainable. The revolving fund works by allowing beneficiaries to reimburse funds over a long-term period. The money collected through these reimbursements is reinvested into the WASH program, ensuring that the cycle of support continues and reaches more families in need. This innovative approach not only provides an immediate solution but also guarantees a lasting impact by maintaining and expanding a cycle of access to clean water.

With our mission set, our goal became clear: connect 200 homes in Upper Egypt to safe, reliable water sources. To achieve this, we structured our team into fundraising, branding, and event management task forces and held weekly meetings to stay aligned.

Through teamwork and hard work, we raised awareness and mobilized companies to donate to UNICEF and support this vital cause. The second edition of the BLU race was a great success, with over 120 students from different schools participating in the race for a cause! The event brought young students together to highlight SDG 6 and the life-changing impact of providing families with access to clean water.

We were able to reach our goal of connecting the 200 homes to water by donating 1 million Egyptian pounds to the WASH initiative.