Young Innovators Transform Water Struggles into Climate Solutions
"Young people often have the best understanding of the challenges affecting their communities because they live them every day," said Tinashe Mushonga, CEO of Boost Fellowship.
Across many communities in Zimbabwe, young people[MN1] , including those in urban areas, are growing up amid daily water shortages. Time that should be spent studying, playing sport, or spending time with friends is often lost to the search for water.
"We can go for up to one month without water," says 22-year-old Wayne from Chitungwiza, a city south-east of Harare, and one of the country’s largest urban settlements.
"When water finally comes, we have to store as much as possible in every container we can find. It takes hours, and often it means less time for studying."
Erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts have made water shortages increasingly severe across many parts of Zimbabwe. The impacts ripple through communities, affecting children's health, education, and wellbeing. Time spent searching for or storing water takes time away from learning.
As taps run dry for weeks at a time, every drop counts. Wayne says her family has learned to stretch their limited supplies by reusing water wherever possible. Water from washing clothes is used to clean floors, while bath water is diverted to nourish a small garden that supplements the family's food supply.
This wastewater, commonly known as grey water, has become an essential lifeline. Yet it is far from an ideal solution. Grey water often contains soap, grease, food particles, and microorganisms that can pose health risks and damage soil and plants when used repeatedly without treatment.
Tavonga, also from Chitungwiza, says this daily struggle has been getting more intense over the years, serving as a clear reminder of how climate change is reshaping young people’s lives. "Sometimes you come home from school tired, but instead of resting or studying, you have to start looking for water," he says. "It affects everything, from our schoolwork to life at home,” says Tavonga.Together with Wayne and Barris[MN1] , he has decided to become part of the solution to the problems facing many children.
In November 2025, they participated in an Innovation Bootcamp organised by UNICEF with funding from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) through the Climate Action for the Last Mile (CALM) Project. The bootcamp brought together more than 200 young innovators and challenged them to develop practical solutions to climate-related problems affecting their communities.
Through the KOICA-funded Climate Action for the Last Mile project, UNICEF and partners are creating spaces for children and young people to move from experiencing the impacts of climate change to developing solutions. By combining climate-smart services with youth participation, mentorship and innovation, CALM is helping young people translate their lived realities into practical ideas that can strengthen resilience in their schools, homes and communities.
For the three students, the choice of project was obvious.
"We wanted to solve a problem that we experience every day," Wayne explains.
Drawing from their own experience of water scarcity, these young innovators developed Mvura-Smart, a prototype designed to recycle and treat grey water, making the recycled water safer for household use. The idea impressed judges at the bootcamp, standing out among 30 competing teams and earning the students a place in the top five, along with US$1,000 in seed funding to further develop their innovation.
With technical support and mentorship from Boost, they refined their design into a system capable of recycling up to 50 litres of grey water in just 30 minutes.
"Young people often have the best understanding of the challenges affecting their communities because they live them every day," said Tinashe Mushonga, CEO of Boost Fellowship. "Our role is to walk alongside them, connecting them with mentors who provide hands on support throughout their journey, providing business and enterprise skills, and creating space for them to refine and scale their innovations. When given the right support, young people can become powerful drivers of climate solutions."
The journey has also changed the way they view their education. Concepts once confined to textbooks have become tools for solving real-world challenges.
Through designing, testing and improving their prototype, Wayne and Tavonga have discovered the power of applying classroom knowledge to practical problems. They have learned about engineering, environmental sustainability, teamwork, and entrepreneurship, while gaining confidence in their own abilities.
Today, their innovation represents more than a water recycling system. It is a symbol of resilience, creativity, and hope.
As climate change continues to impact communities across Zimbabwe, young people like Wayne and Tavonga are demonstrating that they are not merely victims of the crisis. They are innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders.
"As young people we can develop solutions to the problems affecting our communities," they say. "This project has given us confidence and opened opportunities for us to showcase our innovation. We hope that Government and other stakeholders can support and help scale up this solution so that more families can benefit."
