Last Friday, Stichting Stedenband Haarlem–Mutare and Stichting Technotrend officially submitted their joint proposal Connect Healthy Rivers, an ambitious international education and community-action initiative connecting young people in Haarlem (The Netherlands) and Mutare (Zimbabwe). The project aims to strengthen global water awareness, promote sustainable river management, and empower youth to take meaningful action in their own communities. The results of the funding application are expected at the end of January 2026.
Running from February 2026 to April 2027, Connect Healthy Rivers builds on existing collaborations between schools, municipalities, citizen science groups and community organisations in both cities. The programme combines hands-on river clean-ups, citizen-science water measurements, and innovative classroom activities using the serious game Aqua Heroes, developed in collaboration with European partners.
Through structured learning pathways for both primary and secondary schools, students explore challenges such as pollution, drought, flooding, biodiversity loss and water scarcity. Central to the project is the use of the Inner Development Goals (IDG’s) to help young people develop empathy, critical thinking and agency as global citizens. In all activities, equal exchange between Dutch and Zimbabwean students plays a key role: from shared video messages and joint reflections to reporting local research findings to partner classes across continents.
The project is closely aligned with annual international clean-up moments, including World Cleanup Day 2026 and the Dutch National Clean-Up Days in March 2026 and 2027. Alongside school programmes, the initiative engages a broad network of volunteers, local water experts, youth organisations and sustainability groups, ensuring strong community involvement in both cities.
With deep roots in decades of cooperation between Haarlem and Mutare, Connect Healthy Rivers aims not only to educate but to inspire long-term local ownership. By the end of the project, the partners hope to have established a sustainable cross-city network of active young changemakers committed to protecting rivers—and the communities that depend on them.
For more information, please contact:
Dik Bol
06-19850569
Stichting Stedenband Haarlem–Mutare
