Thousands of people across KwaZulu-Natal, who have been hard hit by South Africa’s worst drought in decades, are relying on the generosity of others to receive
access to water.

Heeding the call to aid those communities whose taps have run dry, Toys R Us South Africa has joined several other corporates in the province that have generously donated water. The toy retailer delivered 800 bottles of water to East Coast Radio House in Umhlanga in support of #WaterShare- a water collection campaign launched by the radio station and international humanitarian relief organisation, Gift of the Givers.

“Toys R Us is committed to giving back to the community, particularly those who are most in need. Where there is a need to assist our community, we certainly want to get involved,” says Nicole Annells, Marketing manager, Toys R Us South Africa.

“We were moved to action, inspired by the positive impact that drought relief initiatives are having on people’s lives.

“We recognise that the current water crisis is a shared responsibility, which requires
a collective response. We are, therefore, challenging our staff to offer a helping hand by also making personal donations,” adds Annells.

The protracted drought has plummeted water levels in many areas on KZN’s North Coast and several municipalities have implemented water restrictions in a bid to curtail water consumption.

Last year, KZN was a declared a disaster area due to critically low water levels.

In response to the severe water crisis gripping the province, East Coast Radio launched the #WaterShare campaign to assist affected communities.

Driving the campaign on-air and on social media, the station rallied the support of the public and corporates to donate bottles of water and empty water tanks, which will be delivered to KZN’s worst affected regions.

#WaterShare was launched on 26 January and continued until 6am on Monday, 1 February, collecting over one million litres of water.